The Chronicles of Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde
by twiniitowers
Summary: Jackie and Hyde face the start of the '80s alone, will they wind up together? Read and see. I hope that everyone enjoys the story, please leave a review. Thanks to all.
1. New Year, Same Angst

_**The Chronicles of Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde**_

'**80s edition**

**(every episode in the canon took place – the future is my alternate universe)**

**Chapter 1**

**New Year, Same Angst (Something Has to Change)**

**January 1, 1980**

**3:15 a.m.**

**3 short points of view from 3 people who were sleepless the night after the Forman family's New Year's **

**Eve party.**

**

* * *

**

**Fez**

**People think I'm just a stupid foreigner. That really hurts my feelings. Who has to plan a kiss? Of course, I **

**would take the bait. I'm a Fez with needs. If you love someone with all of your heart, those words were **

**said before; they weren't meant when said to me. When you love someone you don't withhold a kiss.  
**

**Forman didn't see Donna for all the summer she went away in California, granted, I don't think it's going to **

**work out for them. But, the point is, you don't hug and then wait for your first kiss together because it has **

**to be planned. It had to be planned, because the woman who loves me with all of her heart, is sleeping in **

**her room, I didn't expect to "do it" [/sing-song voice], but she didn't even want to cuddle. Many the night, I **

**spied on Jackie when she was with Hyde and they would just cuddle sometimes. Even Donna and Forman **

**would do the same. She can't be in the same room with me, we kissed on New Year's. We went back to the **

**apartment, she said she was tired and wanted to sleep. She's probably in there crying over Hyde. How long **

**can I keep this charade up? I don't want to be sloppy thirds and that's what I am. Kelso was right, I am the **

**cart. Jackie settled with me. She is ugly on the inside the longer she continues to pull my chain. I deserve to **

**be with a real woman who loves me. I'm never going to fall asleep with this on my mind.**

**

* * *

**

**Jackie**

**I cried into Fluffycakes until I couldn't cry anymore. What has my life become? I go from getting a job offer **

**in Chicago (and truth be told that public access show sucked, especially my first night) to being Christine **

**St. George's assistant to settling for sweeping up hair at Fresh Hair. I'm starting 1980 by quitting that **

**job. I don't know what to do. I need to give Steven his space, but he's the one I love with all of my heart, **

**and I think Fez is fully aware of that. I'm afraid to talk to him. I had no one to tell, not even Donna, that I **

**got a letter from my father, he's going to be released from prison (he just can't hold any public office **

**anymore) and the small trust fund that was made for me, I finally have access to. Jack and Pam couldn't **

**touch it. I don't know where I am going or what is going to happen. I really messed up with being bossy. **

**(and bitchy). Steven was going to marry me, but I wouldn't have appreciated it then. I love Steven Hyde, **

**we might never have a future together, but I have to focus on myself first, and hopefully, we can be real **

**friends. He really hurt me, but I hurt him. Listening to him call me a slut hurt me so much. How did he think **

**I would take to hearing that? Why would Fez and Donna encourage him to go back to the Circle? Yeah, I did**

** it, yeah, I sometimes liked it, but do they want him to be an unmotivated stoner forever? This group likes to **

**keep everyone down. He deserves so much better and he needs time to find himself as well. We might not **

**wind up together, but I hope, please God, if you're listening, I would like to be real friends with Steven **

**Hyde**** someday. I'm never going to fall asleep with this on my mind.**

**

* * *

**

**Hyde**

**I'm never going to fall asleep with this on my mind.**

**Whatever.**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Note: I finally figured out how to make line breaks! Yes, it took me that long. I usually would use**

**asterisks, but the system here would delete them. I'm not abandoning my _Scab _story, I just wanted to **

**write something else at the same time. FX just finished airing the awful season 8, and I was trying to look **

**for clues that J/H were meant to be and I think a J/H reunion in the '80s was strongly implied. This is **

**where the inspiration for this story came from. **

**Thanks to all for reading and reviewing and please join our '70s fan fic forum, the URL will be in the **

**Chapter 1 reviews, we'd love to see you there. Enjoy the story.  
**


	2. Confessions in the Bus Terminal

**Chapter 2**

**Confessions in the Bus Terminal**

**January 1, 1980**

**7:10 a.m.  
**

How did this happen?

Jackie used to be motivated, she did her homework on Saturday's, she was the type who wore her nice clothes

(and lorded her superiority over everyone), went to private schools, before Donna lobbed a basketball at the

back of her head and Hyde officially welcomed her to public school. And she wouldn't have even been in that

group if it weren't for Kelso staying to watch the cheerleader practice one sunny afternoon in 1976. Jackie would

always love Michael as her friend he was her first love. That proposal during the Forman's anniversary party was

such a slap in the face to Steven. What was Kelso thinking? Jackie hoped that Michael didn't see a future with

her, he had a baby with Brooke, a nice-paying job in Chicago, and god knows how many legal of age girls he

was corrupting at the Playboy Club. She had no choice, but to pack a small suitcase, leave a few letters behind,

and was able to leave the apartment her and Fez briefly shared. She couldn't deny the temptation of going to

the Forman house and to see Steven one last time before leaving on her journey. How grateful she was that

Red and Kitty decided against selling the house. It would always be there. But would Steven? Surely, he

wouldn't want to stay there forever. How did she lose her motivation? She wanted to have Michael's children;

she wanted Steven to marry her .instant. Jackie always had to be the boss who had to have her way. Why did it

matter? She had some money saved up and she would come into her big money soon enough, her father told

her where he hid some emergency cash. It seemed perfect to have this knowledge now and not back then

when she would have done god only knows what with it. Buy Steven's love, like she bought him new boots. If

she knew about this secret stash of funds, her and Steven might not have happened, because she was fully

aware that she would have bought Michael's loyalty with it. Lord knows she bought oodles of things for Michael

with her parents money and her allowance that was put her own personal checking account. Jackie did what

she was afraid or thought she was too above the rest of the population to do and that was to take the first bus

out of town wherever it was going, that's where she was going to set up shop. Her eyes almost fell out of her

socket when she saw who was in line in front of her. Jackie had to say something. She tapped the broad

shoulder.

"Donna?"

Donna turned around, it could've been worse; it could've been Eric. But she wanted to officially get out of Point

Place; before any scrawny (well, not really anymore), _Star Wars_ obsessed, defected model building, former

boyfriend, released that she like Elvis "left the building".

"Jackie, what are you doing here?"

"Going wherever the next bus is going…"

Donna could've been smug and threw it back in Jackie's face that she knew it wasn't

going to work out between Jackie and Fez.

"Since you are undecided why don't you come to Madison with me?"

"Did you break up with Eric…_again?"_

"We were already broken up…..I just couldn't deal with an emotional goodbye scene.

I'm going to school like I should've done in the first place…"

"He was doing this to give you a better life…."

"I don't need Eric to give me a better life!"

It was Donna's turn at the counter, Jackie didn't know if she wanted to go with Madison with Donna and after

she purchased her ticket it was going to be her time. Would Eric be tracking her down, would Steven come with

him because he was bored and needed something to do? Donna needed to go on her own trip by herself. What

if that first bus was to Madison and not somewhere else? Then she could buy a ticket at the Madison terminal

for the first bus out of there. She didn't need her life defined in such shallow terms.

"Where to, Miss?" the lady, with the pointy glasses asked her when it was her time to make a decision.

"Where is the first bus going to? That's where I want to go." Yet, she half-expected Steven to show up, out of

breath, to rescue her from the bus station, demanding that she not go on her trip, and pulled an engagement

ring box out of his jean jacket pocket. He'd pick her up, shower her with kisses, and carry her out of there.

_Like she always hoped he would do in some form or another. _

_Save her. _

Where they would what? Live in the Forman basement for eternity?

Where the future he saw with her was when they were old (well, that would happen much to Jackie's chagrin)

and fat. (never as long as she stayed in shape and ate right, plus she came from good genes on the maternal

side).

Jackie needed to make some choices that Steven couldn't make for her, no one could

she had to do some much needed soul-searching for herself.

"Miss? I said…..Madison…."

She noticed Donna fumbling for change in her pocket to get something to snack on for the ride. Great she was

going to have to leave with Donna.

"Fine," She could hear her voice crack over the uncertainty of it all, I'll take it."

Donna kicked the vending machine when it wouldn't give her the candy bar.

"Here," Jackie gave her some change out of her pocket, "It might just be stuck…."

"Thanks. So, you're going to Madison?"

"Just to get the next bus…did you talk to Steven last night? Is he all right?"

"After the party after you and Fez left, we were going to go to the water tower, but I was tired…and I wanted

to spend time with my Dad before he left for the airport." Donna pulled the lever and two chocolate bars came

down the chute. She offered Jackie one. Breakfast couldn't always be Kitty Forman's homemade famous waffles.

"Oh," Jackie took the candy bar; she hadn't eaten anything in what felt like years. She got more change out of

her pocket to buy them soda, "Okay…."

"For what it is worth, and, just my opinion, I do think Hyde loves you…you two just hurt each other constantly. It

doesn't matter who started it first. It just had to stop. He lost the will to fight for you."

Jackie handed Donna, the red can of soda, she kept the silver diet one for herself.

"It just became one big game…I hope Fez can forgive me for breaking his heart…did he realize I was lying to

him? How I was lying to myself about everything? I mean who has to plan a first kiss with someone they love

with all of their heart? That's certifiably insane and I admit it." Jackie could feel the tears form in the back of her

eyes, and this was exactly why she needed to get out of here. If her and Steven had a future, they both

needed to grow up.

Hyde like Donna always had to be right, the one in charge, it always took two to tango in the dance of love, and

Jackie wasn't about to tell Donna her opinions about her and Eric. After she got off the bus in Madison, she

didn't know if she'd ever see her giant lumberjack friend again.

"I pushed you towards Fez, when I always championed you and Hyde…I even dragged you to my therapist."

Donna took a drink of her soda.

"You were miserable…." Jackie decided to sit down on the connected blue plastic chairs.

It was such an UnBurkhart like way to travel. "Besides, I'm getting out of Point Place, I need to do this…I don't

know if there's a future with me and Steven, but it won't happen if I return to him now. Ironic, isn't it?"

Donna sighed, "That's pretty mature of you, Jackie."

"The sooner you realize that I'm the genius of the group the better off you'll be." Jackie laughed in spite of the

uncertainty of her future. — Their future. Did they have one?

She looked at her ticket – it seemed so cold.

**Ticket to Madison, Wisconsin (one way trip)**

**Unreserved seating. **

What if she never saw those vulnerable blue eyes hiding behind those wall-of-Zen sunglasses ever again?

"You'll be okay…." Donna put her hand on Jackie's knee.

"Yeah," she sighed, putting the ticket in the front compartment of her purse, waiting for the static-filled

announcement that it was time to board the bus, "I'll be okay…"

Would Steven?


	3. Confessions at the Breakfast Table

**Chapter 3**

**Confessions at the Breakfast Table**

He was drained.**  
**

Hyde woke up earlier than he thought considering the weight of the world didn't make his eyes close until

sometime after 4. Eric was asleep at the kitchen table, holding a crumbled up card in his balled fist when Hyde

found him at 8:25 in the morning. He had no interest in opening the record store. It was a holiday after all.

Kitty thought it was a shame that businesses that used to be closed for families to be with each other were

all starting to be open on days that they never were before. Hyde thought he must have been old, because

he did remember a time when nothing was open on Sunday's, then the '60s turned into the '70s, and now it

was the first day of 1980 and well, he had no interest in being one of those merchants (He was a merchant?)

who had their establishments open on holidays. He wondered why Red and Mrs. Forman weren't up yet, and

then he twisted his face…no one wants to think about their parents doing it. Okay, they weren't his biological

ones, but they were still his folks and it was quite disgusting.

"Forman, wake up!"

Hyde shook his shoulder as he went to get the box of cereal. No bacon on the first day of the year. Maybe, he

could con Forman into cooking it.

"W—what?" Eric almost fell out of the green chair, the note from Donna under the table, as he rubbed the

sleep out of his eyes; he fell asleep at the kitchen table? How embarrassing. He never did make it into his

PJ's and his folks turned his room into a sewing room. That didn't take long, did it? His clothes and other

possessions that didn't make it into the garbage or a yard sale were all boxed up in the attic.

"Make the bacon…."

"A—re you kidding me? Why don't you do it?"

"I'm making the cereal…"

Eric laughed. He missed these little burns. It was a semi-good night, he found out that Donna blamed him for

his missed flight and that he was an inconsiderate jerk, like he could control the times the planes leave the

tarmac. It was great seeing the guys again and having their last circle of '79. Eric was stunned that Fez was

with Jackie that he didn't have a comment or a thinly veiled insult. This was the year they were turning 20 and

Jackie wasn't so bad, he was shocked that Jackie wanted to say goodbye to him via the phone before he left

for Africa, maybe he had her pegged wrong all those years. You had to grow up sometime, but Fez? What

happened to her and Hyde? Eric only knew bits and pieces from phone calls, letters, and verbal mixed tapes

from his Mom that she was able to get some of his friends to partake in. She even got Red to admit something

nice, when he thought the tape recorder was turned off. Eric tried to piece this together in his head, because

he wouldn't have to think about his and Donna's crash and burned relationship. Hyde and Jackie were going to

get married, he was sitting on the couch with him when Hyde made the decision to go to Chicago, and he

smiled, something that Hyde rarely did. _He wasn't being forced, he wanted to do it_. Then, when he got there

Kelso was in the room wrapped in a towel and had a bucket of ice, Hyde took off, went to Vegas, got married to

some stripper who didn't bother to tell him that she was already married to a middle-aged loser type who gave

her full access to his credit cards, thus making Sam's marriage to Hyde invalid, and all of a sudden Donna of all

people, but it didn't surprise Eric in the least, who used to defend (once the shock of the creepy and

unnaturalness wore off) Jackie and Hyde as a couple, pushed her into the arms of Fez. That's all Eric knew. It

seemed so sad to him, considering how Donna bailed (but when he bailed on their wedding he was the scum of

the Earth), on him in the middle of the night and left a note card that she was leaving for Madison to start school

and some hokey bullshit that they would always be friends. Eric decided he was hungry so he could play into

Hyde's laziness and make the bacon.

What were his parents doing that they weren't downstairs already?….oh gross…Eric twisted his face as he took

the pack of maple cured bacon out of the fridge.

Eric heard bits of cereal hit the floor when he noticed Fez standing in the doorway; he looked like he was on a

candy and porno binge. He was carrying two envelopes; one of them was crumbled and looked like it had been

torn. Did Jackie leave town? There had to be a secret girl's club meeting, because really, both Jackie and Donna

leaving Point Place on New Year's Day 1980 couldn't be just a simple coincidence? Eric wasn't sure; he didn't

know how this was going to go down, he focused on being Kitty and cooking the bacon in the frying pan.

"Jackie left me, you sonofabitch!" Fez put the letter meant for Hyde on the table.

He was so disappointed today that he couldn't eat, didn't want to talk to anyone, he just wanted to go where

it was familiar to him, the basement. He knew Jackie was going to leave him but on the first day of the New

Year. That had to be world's record. But she loved him with all of her heart. She said so; it had to be the truth.

All Jackie lies. That's all that Jackie Burkhart did was lie. She was a fucking lying bitch and Fez had no

compassion for her at the moment.

Hyde couldn't look him in the eyes and he left his sunglasses on his end table in his room. The black ink in what

normally was nice, fluid cursive from the girl who paid attention in penmanship class was hurried and harsh. It

looked like she was going to write H—but crossed that out and wrote Steven. There were no little drawn

flowers, scented paper with Babe perfume, but just a simple envelope.

Eric didn't know what to say, so he said nothing other than wondering if he should go or stay.

"Do you want me to leave you alone so you could read your note?"

"No. Keep on cooking, Betty Crocker," Hyde opened the sealed envelope.

_**Dear Steven,**_

_**I just wanted you to know that I'm breaking up with Fez.**_

_**I don't know where I am going or what I'm going to be doing, but**_

_**I need to find myself. I need to get to know who the real Jackie Burkhart is.**_

_**Go ahead and live your life the way you are meant to….I really hope we can**_

_**be true friends someday…I'm sorry for my part in all of this and any hurt that I **_

_**caused you.**_

_**I will always love you; you're the one that truly has my heart.**_

_**~ Jackie**_

Hyde cleared his throat and folded the paper up and put it in the envelope. Jackie was gone. Not temporarily

gone like her ill-fated trip to Chicago, but gone…to parts unknown all thanks to him.

"Are you okay?" Eric asked

"Jackie's gone…she left town…."

"Where is she going?"

"She didn't say," Hyde needed time to process this shock to his body, "Forman, are you going to make eggs

with that bacon?"

**20 minutes later**

Eric felt bad for Fez and decided since he made a lot of bacon and eggs, he'd make plate for Fez. "I know you

don't want to talk about things, Hyde, but I really am sorry." Eric said hearing his parents upstairs. It was

about damn time they came downstairs.

"Same to you, Forman, it sucks…" Hyde was surprised that he was able to eat a full breakfast. That might have

had less to do with Jackie being gone from Point Place and more about Edna's lack of taking care of her son in

Hyde's formative years.

Eric left for the basement; Fez would have to have soda from on top of the deep freeze because he couldn't

carry a glass of juice along with the plate.

"Oh…..WHO made breakfast? That was very nice….did you do this, Steven?" Kitty gushed

"No, Forman did."

"Wow…guess he is useful for something after all." Red said taking the morning paper from the fold in his arm.

Hyde had a choice to make, they were going to find out anyway, and he rather be the one that told them. The

Forman's deserved that courtesy.

"I received a letter from Jackie today…she left town…." He tried to keep his emotions as matter-of-fact as

possible, aloof, Zen.

Showing no emotion is what got him into this mess and the rare times he did it was always too little, too late.

"Where did she go?" Kitty asked

Red folded the newspaper down. He was interested; he heard a rumor that Jack Burkhart was being released

from prison.

"She didn't say…"

After Kitty microwaved Red's plate she put it at his place at the table and someone forgot to put on the

coffeepot, so he was going to have to settle for orange juice.

"I'm sorry, Steven," Kitty hugged the boy she considered a son as well and kissed the top of his head,

"Where's Eric?"

"In the basement with Fez…"

Kitty left and Hyde wasn't sure if Mrs. Forman really wanted to speak to Eric (they did have a lot to catch up on)

or if she just wanted him to be left alone with Red.

It's not like he came from the school of pouring-your-heart-out, infact, he encouraged Eric and himself to keep

those feelings inside.

"I think I made a mistake," Red stirred his scrambled eggs, the dumbass better have made them correctly, "Tell

anyone what I am about to tell you and remember I know how to kill a man in his sleep…."

Red was harmless, his bark worse than his bite.

"That display last night was sad, and it's not because Tonto is from Not America, everyone knows how you and

Jackie feel about each other and it's not from Kitty telling me everything, keeping me from sleeping….that can

be really annoying. I have my own eyes. So tell me, Steven, no one else is here to nag you to open up any more

than necessary, do you really love Jackie in the way that I love my wife?"

He wasn't about to lie to Red or himself.

"Yes."

"I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but if you have a chance to be with the one that makes

you the most happy you take it, you respect the woman you are with, you make a private oasis for yourself,

like the garage, sometimes The Lodge, you take her to her all her man-killing macramé crap, yoga classes, you

tell her waist is skinny even if she gains an ounce, you let her go to bed next to you wearing slobs of cold

cream, if she only does that "thing" once a year or never, you never complain, you never cheat on her, but

looking is fine, you always comfort and protect her, you let her have her own life, and you never, ever let true

love slip through your fingers, you guys are going to be 20 this year, you better start acting like

it.…..dumbasses."

Hyde got up; he tapped Red on the shoulder, as he went to put his plate in the sink. "Thanks, Red."

**25 minutes later **

**Basement**

He didn't know why he did it, but Kitty was over the moon when he came down after his shower with his

moustache shaved off. He kept a spare change of clothes upstairs in the linen closet in case days like this

when he showered after breakfast. He was going to have to go in the basement and face Fez. He and Kelso

remained friends, he was certain he and Fez could work it out. When he came downstairs he was surprised to

see Eric sitting on the sofa, not paying attention to the TV, with a cold plate of bacon and scrambled eggs on

the table in front of him.

"Where's Fez?"

"Gone…"

"That's become the word of the new decade…what do you mean gone?"

"When I came downstairs he wasn't here…"

There was a knock on the back door.

"Forman…." He just sat down in his favorite white taped up kitchen chair.

"Hyde, I cooked breakfast…"

"Fine…."

It was a tall guy who looked pissed off to be delivering a box in cold January Wisconsin weather on New Year's

Day.

"Are you Steven Hyde?"

"Yeah…"

"This is for you…"

It was like a being served a summons by an anonymous being who gives you what they were told to and then

they leave without having to identify themselves.

"Who was it?" Eric asked

He noticed the label on the box top was in Jackie's writing, _**For Steven**_

"Forman, I think I do need to be alone…"

That was code word for if you don't leave I'm going to kick your ass for real and I mean it, so Eric shrugged his

shoulders, took the plate meant for Fez, and walked upstairs, he was going to have to get dressed and face a

new decade without Donna by his side.

Hyde took the box to his bedroom and placed it on his bed as he sat down to experience the contents. There

was a small note card attached like the kind that came with flowers, roses that he was able to give Sam (well

before Red took them for Kitty), but he could never buy for Jackie.

_**Dear Steven,**_

_**My Dad is coming home from prison soon, so I am hoping you will hold the contents of my special box **_

_**for me while I am away.**_

**Love Always,**

_**~ Jackie**_

What was in here?

A Girl Scout spatula, "I have to save this, Steven! You'll only throw it away!" a Fatso Burger wrapper that had

writing on it, but he couldn't make the date out, it had to be from their first date meal, notebooks that had J.B.

+ S.H. on them, Jackie loves Steven, Steven loves Jackie, Mrs. Jackie Hyde, while he noticed that she tried to

scratch out the remains of J.B. + M.K., Jackie loves Michael, Mrs. Michael Kelso, Esq, her corsage from when he

took her to the prom before she went back with Kelso, how he felt something for her then, let alone at the

Forman's Veteran's Day barbeque when he kissed her at the reservoir and he felt something, but she didn't

and that he was right about them all along, a few wedding magazines, was this a box a ploy to get him to feel

a certain way? This was classic Jackie, but she was gone, so how could it be a ploy? Letting his cynicism fade,

his heart jumped into his throat when he saw the black cloth folded over a box with remnants of a piece of

happy wrapping paper. He knew what this was.

It was his favorite Led Zeppelin shirt. Hyde held it up to his face, it smelled of her Babe perfume.

_She wore it._

He didn't know when she wore it, but she obviously wore it. It smelled feminine and soft, not weedy and

masculine like his clothes did.

_Jackie wore the shirt._

That little unseen gesture meant so much to him as Red's Earthy wisdom didn't save the day, but maybe the

entire new decade swirled around in his head. He put his face into the shirt, like a baby does with their

favorite blanket, taking in her scent for what might be the last time because he was stupid and did the

UnSteven Hyde thing and cried into it. He blew it big time and they might never see each other again.

Jackie Burkhart was gone and all he had was box of memories.

Fuck Fez, no offense, but the recent events of the end of 1979 never should have happened.

Jackie was gone, and even though they both hurt each other to their cores, he felt it was all his fault. Jackie

as off somewhere unknown to find herself as he continued to sob with the knowledge that he was the one

responsible for all of this.

Jackie's gone…

It was nobody's fault but his.


	4. LaSalle, Illinois

**Chapter 4**

**LaSalle, Illinois  
**

**January 2, 1980***

This place would do. **  
**

It was quaint, quiet; it was almost like Point Place, and that was why Jackie chose LaSalle, Illinois for her final

destination, that and she was tired of changing buses, eating fast food, and what she felt was being on the run.

Her father sent her a Western Union at the bus depot and once she got settled she could set up her bank

accounts so she could get her trust fund transfered over. Once she added the emergency money she was in

pretty good shape, considering not too long ago she was fired from _What's Up, Wisconsin_ because Christine St.

George was an overachiever/general crazy lady who didn't like anyone to know the real person behind the TV

facade and then wow, she was going to be the sweep up girl at Jeri's Fresh Hair, it wasn't even a real job, Fez

gave her cash in an envelope.

It was an under the table job.

She had goals.

When her father cut her off financially because she chose Michael, Jackie had an epiphany after

working at the cheese shop that money didn't grow on trees. Jackie sat in the lonely booth of what she hoped

would be her last trip to a diner in a long time and opened up the newspaper to the classifieds, wouldn't Steven

be proud of her if he could see her now? She was proud of herself. She could find a nice apartment and figure

out what she wanted to do. She could take things slow, step by step, life didn't always have to be about instant

gratification.

Jackie stirred her tea with the spoon, she missed him so much, and she ruined everything with her elitist and

snobby attitude. She took it for granted that he would fight for her every inch of the way. _He called her a slut at_

_the Forman kitchen table, right in front of Mrs. Forman, that hurt her so much that when she went home she_

_cried her eyes out and ate Fez' whole carton of Happy Fudge ice-cream._

Yeah, she made her way through almost all of Kelso's friends with the exception of Eric. Jackie Burkhart already

hurt the man she loved most in this world, she was right, he could have less. They were supposed to live

happily ever after in a manor house as the "poor person", which was Fez in those daydreams, and he would

make them a cocktail. The toast was hard as a brick and Jackie couldn't eat it. They were just little fantasies

to pass time; the real dream was snuggling in bed with her boyfriend, when her Mom was still gone

looking for rich men, but not caring about the status of her daughter and her father in prison. He brought her

into his room knowing that the Forman's would not approve of them sleeping together in their house without

being married first. They came from the older generation that did things differently.

The real dream was him not being able to find the words to comfort her after family was falling apart

so he shaved his beard off that she hated as a symbol that he was listening to her.

The real dream was him telling her she looked beautiful in the wedding dress she tried on because she got

caught up in Eric and Donna's preparations for the ceremony that didn't happen. Her mind flowed to the first

time she officially met Steven Hyde in Eric's basement.

**Flashback****

**1976 First Day in the Basement**

"Michael, where are we going?" Jackie asked, he never told her anything, but he was so handsome. All of her

cheerleader friends thought he was cute, but Michael Kelso was all hers. He was her dreamboat.

"Eric's basement…" they had to walk from their secret make out spot to wherever Eric's house was because

although Michael had his permit, he didn't have a license yet, or a car of his own. Jackie Burkhart couldn't be

seen walking with an upperclassman that didn't have a car!

She tried to remember everyone that he hung out with, there was that tall red-headed lumberjack, Donna

Picotti…no that wasn't right…Donna P. something that ended with an 'I', the boy she was in-like with was AV

club geek Eric Forman, there was that new foreign kid that her father warned her about and tried to get Point

Place High to abandon their foreign exchange program, and who was that other kid? Yeah, that low life

degenerate Steven Hyde who could always be found in Principal Pridewell's office. He was going to go to prison,

her Daddy told her once.

Michael was friends with these people?

_They were all the rejects._

She was tired and quite angry that Michael didn't hold the door at the bottom of the stairs open for her.

"Michael! You need to hold the door open for a lady, Michael!"

Yep, there they were all in the basement, too caught up in their nothingness to give her the time of day.

"Guys, this is Jackie Burkhart!" Kelso announced

"you're pretty…I'm Fez." He stood up and kissed her hand.

"Do that again and I'll kick your ass." Kelso replied as if she were his possession.

Eric sat on the couch and Hyde sat on his white chair.

"Um, not to be rude, but it's only good manners to say 'hello' to people."

Donna didn't like Jackie she thought she was a snob who thought she was better than everyone else because

her family had more money and she used to go to private school.

"Hi…." Donna said, don't let anyone tell her she couldn't be nice.

"Eric," Jackie said, "I'm thirsty…."

"There's a hose out back…" Hyde replied without looking up from his _Rolling Stone_.

"Good one." Eric replied

"You're all incredibly rude and I'm going home! Michael…!"

"Damn, Jackie, we just got here….let me get a popsicle first! Damn!"

Jackie remembered how livid she was when she left the Forman house that afternoon. She didn't care about

how Fez, Donna, and Eric treated her. But that boy with the curly hair, who was weird because he wore his

sunglasses inside, and had a small patch of acne on his left cheek with the wicked Elvis-type sideburns certainly

had a Hell of a lot of nerve, she was Jackie Burkhart! It mattered what he thought, even back then, she didn't

understand it, but she wrote all about it in one of her diaries. But what her favorite memory was the first time

they were alone in the basement together. Eric and Donna went off somewhere, Fez had to buy penny candy

for his weekly stash, and Michael couldn't be bothered to be with her at the moment because the Henderson's

got a new dog that he just had to play with.

Hyde still wouldn't look up at her. She wore her red wedge shoes that gave her some height, she was not as

tall as Donna, it wasn't very feminine or pretty to be the boys size.

"Hi," she said, if these were Michael's friends she had to get to know them on some level.

He chose to ignore her.

She was Jackie Burkhart!

"You're very rude!" Jackie kicked him in the shin

"You're a little spoiled brat…." She huffed and turned around choosing to ignore those comments and went to

wait for Michael outside.

But she won, Jackie got Steven Hyde to look up at her. She wanted to know what his eyes looked like behind

his sunglasses.

**End Flashback**

Jackie eyes looked at the selections from the mini jukebox, her heart skipped a beat when she noticed the titles

for 11A/12B

**Led Zeppelin**

**Black Dog/Misty Mountain Hop**

Sure a woman needed to be kicked when she was down. She circled a few furnished apartment listings that she

liked and hoped that she could be settled in one of those places today. Jackie wished she could just stop what

she was doing, go back on all of the buses that lead her to Point Place, to the Forman house, and into Steven's

arms, but life didn't work like that. It was time to start being an adult. She couldn't stop thinking about him and

she doubted that she ever would.

They were both cruel to each other right up until the end with only a few moments of something resembling

civility. It used to be harmless burns even in the old days and she reminded herself that's why she had to leave,

not just for herself, but for Steven as well, she wanted him to be the man that she knew he could be and that

wouldn't happen with her there.

Jackie didn't want to change him, not like the old Jackie would have, like with Michael before. She

hated that when he wanted a break from the circle after having a bad experience, she blamed Donna more than

Fez, they had to pull him back in. They couldn't understand or relate to a Hyde that thought of eating healthier,

dare he go jogging (and how his muscles looked when he took off his hoodie…just about killed her), and his

model of a classic car was much better than any of Eric's defective _Star Wars_ creations. They all had their labels,

he was the lazy stoner, Jackie was the shallow, shrill, bitchy one, Donna "one of the guys" who waved the

feminism flag when it was convenient for her, Fez the wacky foreign boy with slight perversions, Eric the Sci-Fi

loving nerd, and Michael was the womanizing ladies man who was a kid at heart.

_They were all of those things and yet they were none of those things._

They were all fully dimensional human beings with thoughts, hopes, and dreams. Steven deserved to have his

wishes come true Jackie thought as she let one stray tear fall down her cheek as she waved the waitress

down for her check. It was time for her to start her adult life without the man in her life that she loved the most.

The man that she wanted by her side.

The man that she pushed away because she had to be a spoiled princess and ruin it all.

It was nobody's fault but hers.

**Author's Note: *As someone who took several bus trips, I figured this would turn into more than a day long **

**trip for Jackie as sometimes you have to wait an hour or more for connector buses and sometimes **

**small-town bus stations don't have any service after hours and you're either stuck waiting inside the **

**terminal or you have to wait outside until the bus comes. **

****My own flashbacks. **


	5. The Tinman of Point Place, Wisconsin

**Chapter 5**

**The Tinman of Point Place, Wisconsin  
**

**January 3, 1980**

_"I think someone went to Oz and got himself a heart_." Eric said to him once.

It was funny about pain, after awhile you get used to it, like days without food, months without a hug, teachers

that loved corporal punishment back in the time when you could still take the kids out to the woodshed and not

get sued or arrested. Everyday the pain was ever present, but while it wasn't gone completely you were able to

keep on moving. What was the alternative to jump off a bridge and into the murky waters? Eric didn't make

enough money in Africa to pay for his education and with Randy no longer in Point Place; Hyde figured it would

be a good idea to have Eric help out at Grooves. Plus, even though he was never going to admit it, he wanted

the company. Leo decided to take a vacation, but instead of telling Hyde where he was going in a note he wrote

a grocery list of butter, milk, eggs, and cheese. Eric was able to go to the junior college in town, the one that

didn't satisfy Donna when she didn't go to Madison after Eric's 18th birthday. Besides, Eric was a good worker,

except for when Hyde was able to distract him with illegal substances in brown paper bags. He could trust him

not to steal money out of the cash register. Kelso was supposed to bring Baby Betsy for a visit to Mrs. Forman's

and Hyde really was in no mood to see Kelso. He had the better life out of all of them. How does a man who

super glued himself to everything and fall off the water tower every damn year in school and after graduation be

the success of this group? Hyde had to admit if Kitty hadn't found out the truth about his real father, he wouldn't

have this record store; he'd still be a short order cook at the Holiday Hotel. He was supposed to be doing

something responsible like making sure no one screwed him out of money, but he was distracted. This had to

stop. What good was coming from thinking about her every damn day? How he went to a high school dance

after he was graduated for her, the grand entrance he and his friends made in the school auditorium with more

power then when they were actually students, especially Hyde, with his spotty record and hated how some of

the so-called better teachers labeled him as a troublemaker with their self-fulfilling prophecy ways. She told him

she learned something about herself, she didn't need to be on the cheerleading team anymore, he blew it off,

he should said he was proud of her. Jackie did a private cheerleading routine just for her in her outfit, while he

sat on the couch entranced by her beauty. He was proud of her that night, he should've said something, but

chose not to. She finished and they cuddled on the sofa and kissed. It was wonderful.

_Jackie was wonderful. _

His thoughts were interrupted by Eric swearing and hopping on one foot, due to the box that he was holding fell

out of his hands and hit him on the right one.

"Damn."

And normally he'd laugh and burn his friend, but he didn't feel like it, not today.

"Forman, I really hope that box isn't empty…"

It was odd, Hyde felt he was hanging by the thread and it was Eric Forman who also lost the love of his life

and he seemed to be much more pulled together than him.

"No. It's the stupid box of headphones…."

Eric picked it up and put it on the table.

"Do you remember that time before that one Christmas,"

_Great._

Hyde was becoming the remember-that-time-guy, "when we all went to the school dance after we all

graduated?"

Eric knew why he was doing this; Hyde wasn't going to talk to him or anyone else. It was a pretty good night for

him and Donna as well. Well, she did yell at him at first (always) because God forbid he have fun and socialize in

the evening. He wasn't going to sleep with those girls first, he wouldn't do that to Donna and second, they were

under 18. They made out on top of the Vista Cruiser when Donna's extended holiday mix started to skip and she

had to sprint back to WFPP, which was only a few blocks from their house.

The high school girls thought he was awesome big fucking deal.

"Do you want to go to the bar after work?" Eric asked.

One good thing about coming back home was that because his room was transformed into Kitty's sewing room,

Red finally relented, he was able to get Laurie's room. It was a semi-big victory in the Forman household that

day. Hyde briefly had it when Laurie moved out for like a millisecond, Kelso couldn't have it for when Betsy came

for visits before he decided to move to Chicago, they only let Jackie sleep in there a couple of times before she

moved in with Donna, but Eric was allowed to have Laurie's room and he could redecorate it. But redecorate

meant he would be stuck living in his parents house for infinity so he decided against it…maybe a few models

that didn't wind up gone on the shelves, but that was it.

"Sounds good…"

"Hy," Eric looked up and then at the wall of posters, "Never mind…."

"What, Forman?"

"Um, I was going to ask if you wanted to, you know we're single…they left us…we can cruise for chicks like we

used to before we got tied up."

Why did Forman want to have this conversation when there were paying customers in the store? Not that

anyone was paying attention.

You didn't have to love them, but it was better when you did.

He didn't want to go through this bullshit again of loving and leaving, making snotty popular girls like Kat

Peterson give in to her sensual side, she used him to rebel against her parents and he just wanted pussy.

Having to give up Jackie, she was beautiful even then, at the prom to Kelso, because then he started to develop

a conscience, that didn't last long by the way. Why didn't he say something then? And now, it's all come to this,

being alone in 1980, and back to looking for cheap liquor and cheaper sex. _It's not what he wanted._ He didn't

know what Forman wanted, sure he'd go to the bar, get drunk, and try to forget that he almost had it all.

"Yeah. Whatever…"

Eric went back to stacking the headphones on the shelf as he watched Hyde disappear into his office. He

couldn't get over his guilt regarding Jackie. Eric had absolutely no guilt regarding Donna's actions. They rushed

into things, Red was right; he was a dumbass, no doubt about it. He thought going to Africa was all for her, to

put him on the path to make them a better couple, but no, he broke up with her via letter because of the reason

he bailed on their wedding, it was for Donna, and she resented him for giving her the independence that she

wanted, and then the Randy stuff, but yet when they were broken up he apparently wasn't allowed to date

anyone, while she fawned over Casey Kelso? Well, fuck her. Yeah, he would always love her in some respect,

but yet, when the resentment boiled over, it really pissed him off. He really thought Hyde and Jackie were going

to make it. Eric nodded to the guy who was working the register; he forgot his name but didn't want to appear

rude. Sorry new guy, no drinks for you. Maybe, he could get Hyde to open up about things if he got him liquored

up.

Hyde sat in his office with the door locked. She did a cold break, yet he was pissed off that she couldn't call

anyone, Eric, Red whom she adored, and Mrs. Forman, she couldn't give anyone an update on her status, how

she was doing. He took his boots off to lie down on the black leather sofa. He'd smoke if he had the energy to

get back up. The cool thing about being the boss is that you could take a nap during the day and who could fire

you?

No one.

He realized what he was doing as he put the Army green blanket up to his chest. He had to get angry with her

to justify his guilt and own internal self-anger. That's why Jackie was gone. Now he had to go out to the bar

with his best friend and look for girls with low self-esteem problems that he would take here, couldn't do it at

Mrs. Forman's house, not anymore, and then when he pretended to be asleep they would get dressed in the

bathroom and leave. Yeah, that's what he wanted. A classy future such as that, he felt like he was the male

version of Edna. There was a picture he kept face down on the table next to the sofa, but he felt inclined to pick

it up. It was a picture of them at the Christmas dance he thought about earlier. He put up a fight about going,

but she said please-with that pouty lip and smile of hers and the next thing he knew he was wearing a suit and

(bolo) tie.

It was one of the best nights of his life.

He would never forget nor stop loving Jacqueline Beulah Burkhart, but life if he could call it that, would have to

go on. The Tin Man of Point Place, Wisconsin used to have a heart.

And then it was broken.


	6. Jackie's Pom Pom Academy

**Chapter 6**

**Jackie's Pom-Pom Academy**

**Early May 1980**

Jackie's Pom-Pom Academy was an immediate success and she opened it up on February 14, 1980, not the

Valentine's Day she quite expected, but this was a great idea, she loved cheerleading, she loved the girls, as

long as they got picked up by their parents at the end of the session, seeing a good pyramid always brought

her mood back up, and being an instructor she was able to enjoy the art of cheerleading without the

backstabbing cliques and the everything-was-a-matter-of-life-and-death-right-this-instant teenage banter. She

like Eric was a teacher. Who'd have thought that? Not only did they practice cheerleading routines but also

make-up application, lecture classes, and anything and everything that she could think was relevant. She didn't

want these girls to be shallow, superficial, and snotty just because they liked to cheer. She was also working

with the local school board to try and get her establishment open in the morning by preparing an agreement

that as long as a school's gym teacher was present they could do morning classes and count it towards their PE

credits.

She had a nice pink office and realized she was trying to create her bedroom minus the bed and '70s teen idol

posters. She had the staff from the Burkhart house send her all of her cheerleader memorabilia from both Jr.

High and High School, certificates, trophies, photos, oh, she missed those times when she had ambition. Donna

would have thought she was off her rocker, but Jackie always loved wearing the traditional uniform, she wanted

to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader whose sexy uniforms were anything but conservative, they had to give the

boys something to dream about and the men something to leer at.

Jackie knew she'd never make the cut, you had to be as tall as Donna, how unfortunate, but she was cute, she

was a powerhouse with a big mouth, _she was Jackie and confidence came from within._ She had to hire staff, just

one girl to work the front desk and another to help her with the books. She was too vulnerable to hire a male

and eventually wind up in his bed just because she couldn't get over Steven. Jackie wasn't looking for love, if

you were 'lucky' you might get two chances, you could have two romantic soul mates, but that's usually if a

tragedy befalls upon a person, Jackie wanted to focus on herself for a change and not in the vein superficial

way, but she wanted to be a success, there was indeed a life out of Point Place, Wisconsin. She had a brown

leather spiral bound roll-book like the teacher's at school with the names of _her girls, her students _in it. _  
_

There were two levels of classes, the junior division, the intermediate age schoolgirls, who were catty in front of

her, my word! Some of them could be little snots on wheels and the senior division, the high school girls, who

had dramatic situations of all sorts going on that she sometimes would catch herself listening to when she was

in the changing room pretending to be making her lesson plans that were already prepared. Situations like hers

only in the beginning stages…

_He cheated on me; I can't be with someone after my first boyfriend cheated. _

How "Miss Jackie" wanted to get involved and say, "Are you sure it wasn't just a misunderstanding?"

Talk…even if he doesn't want to…make him talk…or at least make him listen…

_Make him listen….._

The thing was not every high school romance was the meeting of two romantic soulmates, sometimes they were

stepping-stones to who your real romantic soulmate was to be. Maybe, Steven wasn't hers? Maybe, the love of

her life was some other man. It broke her heart; she didn't want to think about this. She was supposed to be

on the phone with the catering company for the 1st Annual JPPA Students/Parents Breakfast.

There was a knock on the office door, it sounded polite and not wanting to make a fuss. That was distinctly odd

for cheerleaders who were always supposed to be LOUD; she had a reason for being the loud one.

"Come in,"

It was one of her students a 14 year old girl named Mimi Thomas, she had brown hair in the bouncy cheerleader

ponytail fastened with an elastic band and a green bow made out of silk, green eyes, and wore the Jackie

Pom-Pom Academy uniform, the little green megaphone patch had the name Jackie's embroidered in white

thread and PPA in varsity green block style letters, white sweater, green and white striped skirt, the saddle

shoes with the green leather patch and little white ankle socks with the green pom-pom in the back, yeah, she

was recreating the Point Place High uniform and she didn't care. She loved putting her JPPA uniform on when

she taught class.

It made her feel alive.

It was something that she quite enjoyed.

"Miss Jackie, may I talk to you?"

"Of course, Mimi, what's on your mind?" She pointed to her chair so that the young girl could sit down and

relax for a bit.

"I noticed you in your little mini office in the changing room while Susan was giving me advice that I didn't want

to hear. What does she know? She has the perfect boyfriend."

"_There's no such thing as a perfect person_. You can talk to me."

"My boyfriend cheated on me, he said it was a misunderstanding…but how can I trust him after my first

boyfriend cheated on me with half of the high school, plus his friend's cousin?"

Wow. Jackie didn't know if God was testing her, if this was fate, or a mere coincidence.

And this girl was 14 years old, Jackie felt a little too young to be going through all of those experiences, but

she wouldn't judge her girls.

"I'm sorry you went through that, Mimi. Did you and your boyfriend talk things out?"

"No….not really, Justin told me was sorry…"

"I really can't tell you how to live your life, Mimi, but if he's sorry, the best that thing that you can do, the only

thing you can do, to stop the boulder from rolling down the hill is to believe him." Jackie's voice cracked on the

words.

_Just believe him. _

"Are you okay, Miss Jackie?"

"I'm fine," She couldn't cry in front of her students, "Do you want to see some pictures?"

Jackie opened her JPPA canvas tote, it wasn't expensive, but it was her company, she was still quite amazed by

that and took out her leather wallet, truth was she wanted to see the pictures, that's what she sometimes did

in her office, "This one is Steven and I before my last Christmas school dance, I asked Mrs. Forman to take it,"

She realized that those names meant nothing to the teenage girl sitting in front of her.

_He said he wasn't having a good time….._

…was it because she dragged him to a social gathering that he didn't like to attend in a building that housed

bad memories for him? She knew he enjoyed her company, and the little private cheer session in the

basement afterwards. She realized she didn't need to be on the squad anymore, being kicked out and

trying to be put back on the team didn't matter. _They weren't her friends anymore, he was her best friend,_

and she knew he wasn't the emotional type, but couldn't he have said something kind instead of making a

raspberry noise and dismissing it? Yet, that night was one of her favorite memories with Steven. She wondered

if he remembered it?

"He is cute…in a tough guy kind of way, who's this boy in the next picture?"

"Michael. He was my first boyfriend…"

"He's too attractive, like he knows it…."

Jackie laughed. "Yeah…that's Michael." And dumb as dirt, but could be kind hearted when he wasn't screwing

around on her.

"I think you look happier in your picture with Steven…."

_I was…..I was…I was…._

"Thank you, but I want you to know you can talk to me anytime, Mimi. Just give your boyfriend a chance."

Because if he was anything like Steven, all that Mimi had to do was love her boyfriend, but it wasn't about Jackie

and Steven, it was about her student and her problems. But if she could help them in any way she would do her

B-E-S-T.

"I'll try." Mimi put Jackie's photos back on her desk.

"…And keep on cheering!" Jackie said in her most bubbly voice, she took a deep breath she had a lot of phone

calls to make to some, not all, superficial, over domineering, and greedy parents who wanted their daughters to

excel at all costs, the least she could do was make it fun for everyone involved.

Show her a human pyramid and a really sharp pom-pom waterfall, and Jackie Burkhart would get it back.

**Author's Note: I'm saving the description of Jackie's apartment for later. **


	7. Bounced Check

**Chapter 7**

**Bounced Check**

**Same Day in early May 1980 as the previous chapter**

Eric was perplexed.

He gazed his green eyes upward and thankfully Hyde wasn't even in work yet and no one could tell whom he

was talking to on the phone. He grabbed a pencil out of one of his mother's old yellow coffee mugs that were on

the counter by the cash register before Kitty switched to her new green and white ones. "Um…okay," he

couldn't believe what he was writing on the yellow post-it note, "I'll be sure to tell him. Bye." Eric took the note

off the cube and folded it over into his jeans pocket. Hyde was going to be pissed. He was already in a funk over

the whole Jackie situation and now he was going to have to tell him this. Eric wished he had a morning class

today instead of his afternoon statistics after lunch. There was nothing left to do, but put the price tags on the

albums. If this happened just a year ago Eric would have ran to Kitty and had her do it, but now, he had enough

self-assurance to have to take care of matters. He just didn't like what he was going to have to tell Hyde. It was

ten minutes into working the price gun when Hyde tapped him on the shoulder, "Hey, Forman…" and Eric jumped

about ten feet in the air.

"Jumpy today?"

"Um, " Eric turned around to face his friend since elementary school, who was more like his brother than a

friend, "Hyde, can I speak to you in - private…?"

"Did you realize that Luke Skywalker is just a fictional character?"

"_It's important_…"

Hyde led Eric to his office and closed the door. "I don't want to tell you this, Hyde…"

"What is it, man?"

"You got a phone call today."

For a brief moment Hyde thought, Jackie? But then Forman wouldn't be acting this strange if it was her that

phoned.

"From?"

Eric reached into his back pocket for the folded over sticky note. "Edna…."

_Fuck…_

He wished it was Jackie.

Hyde had his sunglasses on, but Eric could take an educated guess over his shocked reaction behind them.

"This is what you're so worried about, Forman? Give me the paper…I'll call her."

Now it was Eric's turn to be shocked. "You will?"

"Bye…Forman…"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah."

Hyde knew this phone call was going to happen sooner or later. He was surprised that she didn't do this in

person. She knew she couldn't get away with contacting WB, although Hyde wondered what would he have

done? After all of the hell she put him through he was going to have some fun. He earned that right. This was

going to be awesome. If he learned anything from Kelso, and who would have thought that, it was to have a

little fun in life. He sat at his simple desk and picked up his private line, yeah, this was going to be perfect. Hyde

could only do this with the knowledge he had that Mrs. Forman was and always would be his Mother; Edna was

just a whore who carried him. She never would be his Mother where it counted.

It took six rings before the phone picked up.

"…h-hello?" She sounded half drunk and voice raspy from her morning cigarette.

"Edna…"

"S-steven," She seemed genuinely shocked, "I didn't think I'd be hearing from you…. so soon."

"That'd be rude. I wouldn't want to be that."

"I don't..."

She was so caught off guard that the chain smoking woman who was using a male friends telephone almost fell

off her chair, but that might have been her morning beer talking. He let her continue.

"I'd rather see you in person."

"Fine. Do you know where I work?"

"Yeah, _you own_ that record store in town…" How was Edna aware that Hyde owned Grooves?

_Yes. You're as transparent as glass. _

"Stop by…."

"Okay. I will."

Eric used delivering Hyde's mail to him as an excuse to walk into his office and find out what happened.

"Boy, you can work on your transparency too, Forman."

"What? I was just delivering your mail…" He put it on his desk.

"It's no biggie. Edna's going to come over later." Hyde replied matter-of-factly, if he didn't know any better,

there was a faint trace of giddiness in his voice.

"What? You haven't seen her in 2 years!"

"You're a good timekeeper." Hyde said looking in the bottom of the third desk drawer, Kelso had the right idea

as he took out a rectangular shaped piece of leather.

"What's with you, man? Seriously are you high?"

"Not right now," Hyde sighed, "Don't you have a job to do, Forman?"

"If you want privacy, I'll leave…I just don't understand. Do you want to talk about it?"

"Nope."

Forman was right about one thing Edna left him two years ago, but at this stage of his life, the hurt of losing

Jackie, the love of his life, cut through his soul more than his mother leaving him and that was the least of it. He

wanted Jackie back in the worst way, he wanted to make it right, Edna could get run over by a truck and he

wouldn't care in the slightest. _He had a Mother and her name was Kitty Forman. _But he was going to come

face to face with the woman who gave him life and had the most utter disregard for it.

That part might be more difficult than he thought.

**20 minutes later**

That was quick.

From the front window, Eric saw Edna stumble from the waiting taxicab as she opened the door and nearly

tripped into his lanky frame.

"I'm sorry, sugar. I remember you, you're one of my son's friends…Michael Kelso...right?"

"No. I'm Eric Forman."

"Where's Steven?"

"He's in his office…I'll show you where it is…"

Wait until his Mother heard about this!

Hyde took a deep breath. There was Eric showing Edna into his office, her face looked about 10 years older

since he saw her last. She was wearing a black v-neck sweater that was about a size too big and jeans that

were a size too small. Her red hair was in a ponytail and he could see her starting to go gray.

She meant nothing to him.

"Forman, close the door…"

"You look good, Steven," he popped open the leather case and took out his ink pen.

"What last name do you go by now?"

"Oh, it's still Hyde. I never made the MISTAKE of marrying again."

**Edna Hyde**

**Ten Thousand 00/000 -**

**Steven J. Hyde**

"Will this do?"

He tore the check from the old book along the perforated edge. Her hands slightly shook partly from not wearing

stocking with her faded black pumps, she never held a check this LARGE before.

"Oh…I have to go…my cab is waiting…" She bumped into the desk, the chair, and the door.

"You should say thank you, it's impolite not to."

"Thank you, Steven…"

Eric ran in five minutes later, "Hyde! I just saw your mother waving around a check. Have you completely lost

your mind?"

"You're wrong on both things…. one, she's not my mother and two, no, I haven't lost my mind. The check was

written on an old account…she can't cash it for a penny."

_Let alone for ten thousand dollars. Jesus fucking Christ.  
_

"Oh…OH! BURN!"

Michael Kelso would be proud.

When Eric left to grab lunch and to go to his afternoon class Hyde opened the phone directory, he might have

been an adult, and to some the action he was about to take, wouldn't be necessary, but he wanted to make it

official. He had thought about this for quite sometime now, but today's visit from Edna pushed it to the surface.

He realized without remorse that he didn't consult with WB first and that was another problem. He was a good

guy, but clinical, they could go out to lunch, he even took Hyde to play golf, but when he thought of his father,

he didn't think of WB, he certainly didn't think of Bud, and he also didn't think of any Uncle figures, faux or not,

no adults in his life cared for him, some hurt him in ways that he would take to his grave. His grandparents (on

both sides) were too old and sickly and he didn't have many memories of them. They all did their fair share of

seeing how much abuse a poor child could take. So in comparison to all of the older males in his life, WB was a

wonderful man. However, there was only one man did he consider his father, only one man did he have the

utmost respect for, and that was Red Forman.

He would inform WB, it was only right, but even he did not get a say in what he was about to do.

Red and Kitty Forman were and would always be Steven Hyde's _real_ parents.


	8. Mother's Day Brunch

**Chapter 8**

**Mother's Day Brunch**

**May 11, 1980 **

It was a lovely Spring day in May.

No one could forget this year because Kitty circled every calendar in the house from the _I Love Lucy_ in the

kitchen, Red's Corvettes of the Month, Hyde's Led Zeppelin's album and singles covers (the _Playmates of the _

_Month_ calendar was at Grooves), and Eric's _Star Wars_ _Characters_ every last one had Kitty's red sharpie around

the date of May 1980. She actually circled them in January along with her birthday. The Vineyard was having a

special Mother's Day Brunch and Kitty was going to attend with her 3 favorite and handsome men. Kitty sat at

her vanity. Spring was here, the days were getting longer, Kitty wanted to nurture and feed all of God's

creatures that scampered into their yard and of course Red wanted to destroy the critters who tore the yard

apart.

Eric was doing well at school and he talked to his guidance counselor who suggested that he transfer after 2

years to the University of Wisconsin. He also had his job at Hyde's record store to keep busy. He never

mentioned Donna unless asked. Bob sent them a postcard every now and then, but there was no mention of

anything really personal. They were friends for over 10 years, he didn't have to say anything that Donna wanted

to keep private, but Kelso told Mrs. Forman more about his daughter Betsy and would bring her over for visits

sometimes than Bob could reveal about his life in Florida. Steven had his store and Kitty could tell, he always

wore his emotions on his face, which is why he still liked to stay hidden behind his sunglasses, he missed Jackie.

He was lost without her.

They had no idea where she was. Kitty was tempted to call Jack Burkhart after they saw the blurb in the

newspaper that he got released from prison, but she didn't want to interfere. It was Steven that had the true

love, Eric could do better than that whore Donna Pinciotti, they went on dates here and there, but neither one

of them found the right girl to bring home to "Meet the parents." She wanted her boys to be happy. Kitty dotted

on her Wind Song perfume and put on her small gold button earrings that Red got for her last Christmas.

"Kitty, are you almost ready?" Red asked, he couldn't be mad at her; she looked too beautiful in her simple

emerald green dress with the sweetheart neckline.

"Are _the boys_ ready?"

No matter how old they got they would always be _her boys._

"Oh, I threatened to put my foot in their asses an hour ago…they're in the kitchen waiting…"

"Red," she whispered and didn't know why if her sons were downstairs, "Do you think I should call Jack

Burkhart?" She put on her gold chain that Red gave her one Christmas long ago.

He knew what for.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Kitty, you mean well, but whatever is meant to happen between Jackie and

Steven can't happen if we interfere. It's funny though, you didn't think of dialing information for Bob's number for

Eric."

That was another thing that pissed Kitty off; Bob never gave them his new phone number.

"Well that formerly red-haired harlot was all wrong for my baby boy!"

Kitty stood up and Red grabbed her pink shawl off the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders.

* * *

Eric fumbled with the keys to the Toyota that Red left on the table as Hyde sat next to him drinking a coffee.

They were starving but today was all about Kitty and neither one of them was going to complain. They and Red

chipped in to buy something very special for the one constant female in all of their lives.

"Oh, Red, get the camera! Look how handsome my boys look in their suits!" Kitty smiled as she went over to

give them hugs and kisses.

Red knew better than to put up a fuss and ever since he started his retirement he was actually happier with his

life. It was nice being with Kitty, who herself since retired from the hospital, but when were these two sons of

his going to move out?

He'd never admit it, but he liked having them around as adults.

It was a given.

* * *

**The Vineyard**

Kitty tore open a yellow sugar packet to put in her coffee as she watched Steven take off his glasses and put

them in the inside jacket pocket of his gray blazer, Eric twisted the lemon that was in his iced-tea and dropped it

in his glass with his long fingers, and Red was being on best behavior because he didn't want to be sleeping on

the sofa tonight. It broke a Mother's heart seeing her boys in pain. They didn't have to hide it because they

were in class or work. It was written clearly on their faces _and a Mother, a good mother, just knows._

"What kind of brunch is this that we have to get our own food?" Red said

"It's buffet style." Kitty said, god bless her husband, he liked the simple things in life, why should they as paying

customers have to get their own food?

"I should buffet style my foot in their ass." Red whispered.

Red stood up and helped Kitty out of her chair. That previous decade gave those two boys very mixed messages

on what they were raised to believe about relationships. Red had no problem with Kitty working, it was

important for a woman to have her own interests, (and they would've lost the house without her job) but

some of the modern messages were just downright confusing to the older Forman. Hold open a door for a

woman and you're labeled a pig, don't hold open the door for a lady and you're also called a pig. Red had eyes,

Donna had a ditz for a Mother and Father who believed a woman should cook all the meals, okay, Red was

guilty of that one too, he didn't know what a slotted spoon was from a serving one and a woman should make

the salad while the men tended to the steaks on the grill. Not to mention that Bob thought a woman could only

work in stereotypical women's careers like being a secretary and he was younger than Red for God's sake.

Jackie was different, her corrupt lawyer father, on the council, who used to own the Fatso Burger chain in town

thought women could have cute little part-time jobs to elevate their status in the community such as when his

wife Pam was a realtor, but who needed money when you could reinvent your appearance and disappear on

Mexican cruises where the alcohol followed freely, with men half her age? Not that Red didn't think she was

stunning (and got in trouble with Kitty for it), but of course, she never would have settled down with Bob. He

wasn't rich or built enough. The only role models Jackie saw in action were the Forman family. Sure at times Red

tried to shoo her away when she needed a hug, but he did love the Loud One and she could get dirty when she

wanted to, get under the car, and see how things worked, but Jackie, like Steven, were never given the

guidance in their early years, even Red, with his own biological children wasn't there, he was the breadwinner, a

supervisor at the now-defunct auto plant.

Kitty stayed home and raised the kids, and when they went to school, she went back to nursing only

taking a few stretches of time off when her family needed her most. He and Kitty still didn't know where Laurie

was and Eric was finally stepping up to the plate going to school and had a job at Hyde's record store. He was

glad Donna cut the ties with his son; he didn't like seeing Eric hurt, of course, but he was more focused without

her.

Steven on the other hand, he and Jackie were almost polar opposites of each other, but they complimented

one other well. The sun needed the moon. They had the makings of a real relationship, but they never stopped

long enough to appreciate what they had in front of them. He really hoped it worked out for those two.

"Kitty," Red whispered as Kitty took 2 pieces of bacon off his plate with a fork and put it back into the serving

area, "I'm going to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear if you want to take matters into your own hands…"

"Red," she laughed, "How cute you are when you believe in matters like this that you think you have a choice…."

She slapped his hand, "No sausage…. have a mini blueberry muffin!"

* * *

Eric ate a piece of perfectly-bite-sized cubed cantaloupe with his fork. He liked to start with the fruit on a small

bread plate and then go back for the next course on a dinner sized plate instead of filling up his dish with all of

the courses like the rest of the men at the table did.

"It's nice to have all my favorite guys here on my special Mother's Day."

Red knew that was a signal that Kitty's present better make an appearance on the table before the final course

of tea and lemon cake.

Hyde had all of this food on his plate and he really couldn't stomach a thing. Some day's were better than

others, last night on the drive home from work he saw a bunch of cheerleaders from the class of '80 walk out of

The Hub and all he could think of was Jackie in her sexy little uniform. Today was supposed to be a great day. It

was Mother's Day, so he figured he had to push the girl that he lost out of his mind. Jackie who made him a

special lunch on his first day of work at WB's office and thought to decorate his room with nice, fluffy, and

floral scented things. The woman in front of him could tell when any one of them were having a bad day so he

put a fork into his scrambled eggs and put on his best smile.

_It was her day after all. _

Eric had to have told them what happened with Edna, but no one brought it up. Not even the former nurse who

loved him as if he were her own son. She always brought things up when it concerned her family. Yet, she didn't

say a word about Edna or the fake check that he gave her.

_Yeah, I made the right choice. _

* * *

**Forman Bedroom**

"I just love my bracelet with the three boy charms…" She wasn't going to complain that Eric and Steven "forgot"

Laurie. She could buy a girl figure at Halverson's and add it to the bracelet when no one was paying attention.

"Look Red, it jingles!"

"I can jingle…"

"Red Forman! Are you looking to be naughty in the afternoon?"

He went up to his wife and kissed her on the neck.

"Well, first you need to get out of that monkey suit, Mister."

Kitty took off her new black pumps and when Red went into the master bathroom she slid off her stockings, he

always fumbled with them and these were a brand new pair, fresh out of the plastic egg, and she didn't want to

get a run in them. Was Red singing? This was a good day! She would let him unzip her dress he liked doing it

and Kitty liked how it felt. Sitting back on her pillows as Red sang Bobby Darin from the bathroom, she felt

something crunchy against her back.

"What in the world?" She pulled out an envelope from behind the pillows.

"Look out old Mackie is back!" Red appeared in his conservative white t-shirt and boxer shorts.

"Red, what's this? It was from the law office of Dunbar & Sweeney. Kitty opened up the legal envelope and took

out what looked like a college acceptance letter in weight, "Oh…oh…Red…" she started to cry, their afternoon

romp temporarily forgotten.

"What is it, Kitty?"

She handed her husband the documents, "I can't believe it…" he handed her the tissues that were on his side.

He coughed, "I can't believe it either…." as a smile came over his face as well.

"I'm so happy…"

She softly cried tears of joy into her husband's arms as they both fell asleep.

* * *

**Circle**

"You've been very quiet today, Hyde…"

Hyde wondered if he should tell Eric what he had done? No. They would all be there together when it happened.

— Like a family.

"Forman, not every second needs to be filled with words you know."

For a circle this was quite depressing Eric thought. He knew Hyde would never want to talk, Eric would have said

that he actually missed Jackie's presence. While he missed Donna, Eric was certain that he only missed _the idea_

of Donna. Their beginnings were typical teenage fare of going from like-like with each other, being nervous in

the hallways at school, not wanting to hear from their friends that they were thought the other one was cute,

and the like.

How does it go from that to being a bastard who either gets it or they don't? Who was also going to bail on the

wedding? Who never understood how much the young man actually loved her that he tried to set her free?

Because he didn't want to be blamed for holding her back from her true potential.

There was nothing relaxing or numbing about this circle, why didn't that change surprise Eric Forman one bit?

* * *

**Next Day**

**Forman Kitchen**

It was breakfast and Kitty was making her Swedish pancakes and for once Red knew there wasn't a catch to

these delicacies. Well, there was one tiny one. Kitty knew the smell of the bacon (only 2 slices for Red), coffee,

and pancakes would be enough to wake up her sleeping brood. Red was only half-interested in the morning

newspaper, he was quite proud. He could be stoic; Kitty was about to happily jump out of her skin. It was the

price paid if one wanted to be…

Eric came through the door.

"Swedish pancakes?" He groaned

_Is Aunt Pearl dead yet?_

"No catch." Kitty beamed as she gave Eric his plate.

"Something has to be up." Eric said

Hyde came upstairs he knew today he couldn't get away with sleeping in as he took his place at the table.

"We have something to say…" Kitty said

Eric put his fork down onto the plate, "I knew it!"

Kitty walked over to Hyde and put her hands on his shoulders. "Do you want me to tell everyone, Steven?

Because I really don't mind…" Kitty started to cry.

Everyone meant only Eric.

Eric was confused and Red put down his paper to stand up.

"I can do it…" Hyde said

"Eric mark your calendar for Wednesday…" Red stated

"I have a test…"

This was so fucking typical of his family.

"You can talk to your professor," Kitty was about to burst at the seams as the some of the happiest tears of her

life fell down her cheeks, "Oh, Steven!" She gave him a hug. She couldn't wait anymore.

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Eric asked folding his arms over, suddenly these Swedish pancakes

didn't seem so appealing. There was always an underhanded reason when his mother made these.

Always.

"Forman, I filed papers to be adopted by your parents." He tried to say that as nonchalant as possible. Kitty

was emoting for all of them.

"You want to be adopted? Why? You're not a kid anymore." Eric asked logically

Forman wouldn't get it. He had stable parents all of his life. He didn't suffer any kind of abuse from anyone.

Red might have believed in a literal kick-in-the-ass, but the majority of people spanked their children when

they were of age. It's how it was. Hyde knew what real abuse was and how Red disciplined his children was not

abuse.

"You don't have to understand." Hyde just hoped that the adult Eric wouldn't be jealous over this.

"Is your name going to be Steven Forman?"

Now there was a thought! And Hyde did, not that he could tell Forman, think of the possibilities, but he did

choose to keep his own name. That and it would have been incredibly strange being referred to Steven Forman.

"No." He said quietly, he didn't want Red to think that, that would have been a bad thing. It just wasn't for him.

"And that's why you have to clear some space on your calendar…we're going to sign the papers on Wednesday,

and you should be there." Kitty said wiping her eyes as she kissed Hyde on the cheek.

"Why didn't you tell me, Hyde?" Eric asked

"What would you have said?"

"I would have been stunned, like I am now."

"Are you sure you want to be an official part of this family?" Red asked as he smiled and raised a thoughtful

eyebrow. Hyde was already a member of the family this was just going to make it authorized.

"Yes," Hyde said, he could feel as if a bulldozer was breaking down his internal walls, he didn't need them

anymore, "It's cool."

But a man still had to have a little bit of Zen in him otherwise one would run the risk of being totally soft like

Forman.

He just wished he could've been able to share this news, this stage of his life, with Jackie.

**Author's Note: I know it's two Hyde-centered chapters back-to-back. It was like a kind-of, sort-of two **

**parter, but not really. I'll do the same with Jackie in two later chapters. ;)**


	9. Why Him?

**Chapter 9**

**Why Him?**

**June 28, 1980**

Damn it.

Jackie felt she couldn't catch a break as she locked eyes with someone from her past. Of course, it would be the

wrong man, Michael Kelso her first love was in the Children's Department trying to find an outfit for his daughter

who was sitting by him on the floor eating Cheerios from a green plastic cup.

"Hi, Michael." A quick hug and a peck on the cheek was all he was going to get, "Hi, Betsy." She looked down at

the little girl, who really was pretty, with Michael and Brooke for parents how could she not be a gorgeous little

girl?

Wasn't there a time when she wanted to have Michael Kelso's children?

"Da."

"What are you doing here, Jackie?"

"Uh, shopping same as you." She was on her way to the eyewear department, because she needed a

fashionable pair of sunglasses while she drove for the summer months. Not because she was Zen and wanted

to drone out the world.

"What do you think? A denim dress or a pink sundress?"

"Buy both."

"Good idea."

He draped the two items over his arms like a waiter with a cloth and picked up his almost two-year-old

daughter, who spilled some of her Cheerios onto the tiled floor.

"How's work?"

"Easy. They pay me a lot of money…A LOT to, " he looked at his daughter's round and sweet face, she wouldn't

be one of those girls at the _Playboy Club_, no fucking way, "Well you know. How are you, Jackie?"

"I'm busy."

What and tell him what she does and where she worked so he could relay that message to Steven and he

would think the worst of her? Think that she had elaborated some plan to get a message to him? And that he'd

hate her even more for it?

No way.

"Oh," he could sense that Jackie didn't want to talk to him; it hurt him a bit, he always thought, underneath it

all, that they would find their way back to one another, but it was Hyde, she loved him. She certainly trampled

all over Fez' poor heart. "I guess I'll see you around, Jackie."

"Bye, Michael, Bye, Betsy."

She held her tiny chubby hand for a second before going in the opposite direction.

Why couldn't she have bumped into Steven?

Probably because he wouldn't plan a trip to Chicago just to go shopping.

Jackie walked as fast as she could, damn it. She supposed one needed a sense of humor to get through life.

What if she had bumped into Eric? It would have been a million times worse than a chance meeting with Kelso.

She didn't know if she should continue her plans to buy her shades or if she should slip into the café for a pastry

and coffee. Jackie could eat when she was sad, if it weren't for her girls and her job at the Academy she

probably would be fatter than Big Rhonda at an All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet.

No.

This wasn't Miss Jackie's School Spirit.

She was a cheerleader not a cheerliar. She just wanted to see those sensitive blue eyes and not hiding behind

those sunglasses of his either. Damn it, of all of her ex-boyfriends to be in Chicago for a weekend shopping trip,

it would have to be Michael Kelso.

* * *

**Forman Living Room**

Mrs. Forman was spoiling little Baby Betsy rotten even Red liked playing with her. It was always nice when

Michael stopped by with the baby. It was hard to believe that Kettlehead was her father. He would dangle

those big plastic colorful ring of keys in front of her face and she'd giggle and reach for them. Kitty loved seeing

Red letting his guard down, his guy façade slip, when there was a little baby, especially a girl one, in the

room.

* * *

**Basement**

Kelso was downstairs with Hyde and Eric.

"Guess who I saw at the store today when I took Betsy shopping?"

"Who?" Eric asked, he really didn't have time to socialize, he had to read about a million books, go over his

notes, and try to go to bed at reasonable hour, none of this would happen with Kelso here.

Kelso looked at Hyde who wouldn't look up from the newspaper. "I think Hyde might be interested."

But he didn't take the bait. He was exhausted, it just wasn't the same, you grow up, your interests change,

Kelso thought he could just come by unannounced (again) bring the baby for a visit and while she got attention

from Red and Kitty, he could do stupid things like they used to. If he glued himself to the freezer Hyde was going

to leave him there overnight, it would serve him right.

"I saw Jackie!"

Eric almost dropped his can of beer. It wasn't fun to drink it when he was legal and Red wouldn't bust his ass. It

almost made him not like the taste of it, but he didn't want to be ridiculous.

"You saw Jackie?" Hyde asked non-committal.

"Yeah, she was weird…. she wouldn't tell me what she was up to and she couldn't wait to get the Hell out of the

store."

Hyde didn't want to talk about Jackie and he certainly didn't want to talk about Jackie with her first boyfriend. He

took his beer can off the table and proceeded to walk away to his room.

"What's his problem?" Kelso asked Eric when Hyde was out of earshot.

"He still loves her, you dillhole. Listen, Kelso, I know you came from Chicago, but I have to study and I don't

think Hyde wants to talk to you, not if you are going to throw seeing Jackie in his face, so unless you want to

visit with the folks. I'm going to call it a night. See you later."

* * *

**Hyde's Room**

Hyde had the radio on. Anything was better than hearing Kelso's voice. Even if it was a Little River Band

retrospective on WFPP.

Of all of Kelso's ex-girlfriends to be in Chicago for a weekend shopping trip, it would have to be Jackie Burkhart.

He didn't know why she didn't want to talk to him or why she was in a hurry to leave. Maybe, she had a new

boyfriend and didn't want to discuss it with Kelso because she knew the news would reach him? That had to be

it. A woman that beautiful wouldn't be single for long. They should've met as adults; meeting as basically kids

who didn't know any better is what ruined their probability at happiness.

Damn it.


	10. Tale of Two 7 Year Old Birthdays

**Chapter 10**

**Tale of Two 7-Year-Old Birthdays**

**Year: 1967 for Hyde**

**1968 for Jackie**

**Sweet**

She was the princess of Point Place, Wisconsin.

The little girl was the prettiest princess in the land or so her father told her. She had the most beautiful party

dress it came all the way from a store in Chicago called Neiman Marcus. It was full of pink taffeta and ruffles. She

got matching pink Mary Jane shoes and had ruffled pink socks. Her mother didn't bake a cake, they SPECIAL

ORDRED a cake, it was heart shaped with her name spelled on it in purple icing. It was BIG! FOR THE BIG PARTY

AT BURKHART MANOR!

There were little unicorn cupcakes in a circle for her friends from school; they used their finest china. She was

going to receive lots of presents, talking dolls, a music box with a dancing ballerina inside, and everything she

could ask for.

It was going to be the best birthday party.

**Sour**

The little boy was finally able to cry after his mother left the house in a huff. Everything was all his fault. The rest

of the crooked from a mix cake that wasn't shoved in his face was in pieces all over the already grimy floor. His

bottom and legs hurt from his father's belt that his mother used because he was a worthless piece of shit. All he

wanted was a party like his friends. They had cake. They ate cake it wasn't shoved in their faces because he

had a fresh mouth. They had presents, not some used probably stolen toy cars that were thrown into the toilet

and he was ordered to clean up the bathroom when the toilet overflowed. Well, it wouldn't flush if you put toy

cars in there.

Better the rats play with them than the little boy. He'd never ask for another birthday party ever again.

**It was a tale of two seven-year-old birthdays in two years in Point Place, Wisconsin.**

**Hyde – 1967**

He just couldn't help himself. He was stubborn. He was jealous of Forman's birthday party. Mrs. Forman went all

out, the decorations were colorful, they hired a puppeteer, Mr. Forman put hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill

and they were able to have their lunch outside because the weather was nice. Mr. Kelso wanted to pick him up,

but he couldn't accept a ride, he didn't want Kelso and his father to see where and how he lived. He found his

best blue shirt and jeans. He didn't have enough money to buy Forman a gift; he couldn't be the only one there

who didn't bring a present. Laurie would tease him. She called him a Ragamuffin. Edna was passed

out on the sofa with a trail of beer bottles on the floor and Bud wasn't there, so it was easy, he just walked out

the front door. Forman liked comic books, he knew he'd get caught stealing in the mall, so he decided to go to

the newsstand and when the clerk's back was turned helping an actual paying customer, he would steal 2 comic

books for Forman, sneak into his house, find something to wrap them in, and then go out to the back porch. It

was easy. So God fucking forbid that he want a birthday party of his own. Edna made a cake, it was lopsided

and for a brief moment he thought it could be a nice day. At least what a good day would be like in the Hyde

house. He had a cake; he didn't think he'd get one. What Steven Hyde received on his 7-year-old

birthday was a hard slap across the face.

And he was stubborn, he wouldn't cower down, he'd give her the fight, "What was that for?"

Edna had on her prettiest dress from the discount store. It was brown and had small pink flowers on it, her

husband was supposed to take her out for dinner, but she was baking that stupid cake for her stupid son, and

he stormed out of the house saying he was going to the local dive bar.

"You," she scooped him up and Hyde wished for the day that he was bigger and stronger, he knew he was

going to get the belt, it's not like Edna was going to pick him up for hugs and kisses and have a sweet laugh like

Mrs. Forman, "ruin everything! My career! My life! Everything! You are a worthless piece of shit…" He wouldn't

cry, he wouldn't give her any satisfaction, how sweet for 7th, he received 7 swift and hard lashes, _"you're never _

_going to amount to anything, Steven."_

She pushed him off her and he fell into the cabinets, "I just wanted a birthday party like my friends."

But he doubted very highly that Kelso and Eric had their mothers shove a huge wad of cake in their face and

have their Hot Wheels unsuccessfully flushed in the toilet.

Edna mumbled about him cleaning the bathroom and kitchen as she ran into the living room to make a frantic

call for a taxi to see if she could find Bud and salvage the evening.

He thought of killing himself somehow, but decided against it.

When Edna left he could finally curl up into a ball on the dirty kitchen floor and cry.

He'd never ask for another birthday party ever again.

**Jackie – 1968**

The Burkhart backyard was like a mini amusement park she didn't know where the pony came from or the small

merry-go-round but it was all so beautiful like one of her fairy tale books. The Funland Princess was even there.

Jackie got her picture taken with the Mayor and her picture was going to be in next week's Sunday edition of the

_Chronicle_ in the Living Section. They were famous! She sat on the bench she didn't want to get her pink ruffled

dress all dirty and she didn't like the clown. The staff set up a buffet table and all of her friends were there from

school. Her Mother bought these clear pink gift bags and she was able to write her friends names on them with

special marker. Because they had to show their appreciation they each received a small thin box of crayons,

magic wand for the boys, magic star wand for the girls, and a box of candy hearts.

"Kitten," Her Daddy picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Let's get a picture of you on the

merry-go-round for the newspaper."

But she was starting to get tired. She wanted to eat her cake and open her presents. Daddy and Mommy

always acted like this. But they were rich. Everyone in town loved the Burkhart's of Point Place.

"Do I have to, Daddy?"

"Yes," Her Mom said taking her out of her Daddy's arms, she did smell nice, so she trusted her, "Think of how

jealous all of your friends…and their parents will be! You're better than everyone else…you're a Burkhart!" Pam

fixed the pink bow that she wore in her hair and placed her on the merry-go-round for show.

They took about a million, zillion pictures for the paper, Jackie had to pretend to open the gifts and make the

right faces. Her mother put her two index fingers up by the sides of her mouth to indicate to little Jackie to

SMILE!FOR!THE!CAMERA!

Pretend to cut the cake.

Pretend to eat the cake.

Pretend to jump rope with the Mayor's daughter.

Pretend to hug the Funland Princess.

Don't get your dress dirty.

IT CAME FROM NEIMAN MARCUS!

DOESN'T SHE LOOK BEAUTIFUL!

Don't have fun.

When the cameras stopped long enough the most beautiful special spoiled princess in Point Place, Wisconsin,

Jacqueline Beulah Burkhart ran into the house, past the maids, and into her PINK bedroom so she could cry on

her bed.

When she heard a bunch of adult feet come up the stairs she pretended to be asleep, she even grabbed her

teddy bear from Harrods in England to hide her tears.

"Oh, Jack, this is perfect! Does Marty have his camera ready…?"

Caption of the last photo from Jackie Burkhart's 7-year-old-Birthday party:

_The Little Princess of Point Place: All Tuckered Out._

**Author's Note: Instead of doing their current birthday's where they miss and pine for each other, I thought **

**I'd do my own flashbacks on what their 7-year-old birthdays would have been like for Jackie and Hyde. **

**Thanks to Marla's Lost for being my Beta for this chapter. :)**

**Underline update: The traditional way of highlighting the word and clicking on the "U" isn't working for me, **

**but I got the underlines to work by clicking on the HTML pop-up window (on the far right side) and adding **

**the code for underline manually.  
**


	11. The Changing Room

**Chapter 11**

**The Changing Room**

**August 1980**

Kitty had an idea

Red gave Kitty a room of her own. With that pretty boy Randy's help it turned out to be a nice sewing area and

a place where she could have a bourbon or wine without the family thinking she was an alcoholic. But this room

used to belong to Eric and she always felt a tad guilty for changing over his room when he it seemed he had

just left for Africa. She was mad that he could leave for such faraway lands, but he was doing so for that

ungrateful slut who thankfully was gone off to college and her father in Florida. No one bought the Pinciotti

house yet, there was still a huge sign in the Front yard from Point Place Realtors. She didn't know if Eric would

want his room back or if she should give it Steven, she knew he liked his back basement room and his solitude,

but they signed those papers without much fanfare. Kitty surprised herself, just like she never told Steven that

Eric told her about Edna's surprise visit. She had a small red velvet cake prepared with vanilla butter cream icing

and that was the party she gave him. Kitty didn't even talk to Red about this, it was only right to talk to Eric. It

was one of those rare days that Steven left the house before Eric did, after breakfast he went upstairs to

change into his clothes. Kitty made sure to knock first.

"Come in."

"Hi, Eric."

"Mom, is there something you need?" He made sure he had all of his books in his knapsack.

"I need to ask you a question, Sweetie. Would you like your old room back?"

Eric looked up, they always went that extra mile with Steven, but it didn't bother him now not like it would have

just a few years ago.

"No. Give it to Hyde." Eric had to intentions of staying here any longer than necessary. If Hyde wanted the room,

more power to him.

It was strange at the dinner table the night they came home from the lawyer's office to hear Hyde refer to his

parents as Mom and Dad. They were his unofficial parents for years anyway. It didn't trouble Eric, it just was

odd. He wanted to get away from Point Place and it seemed that Hyde was content to stay.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's just a room."

Kitty kissed Eric on the cheek. "You're a good boy."

Eric smirked he zipped up his knapsack…_isn't that what you tell the family dog?_

* * *

**Grooves**

Eric put his belongings in the corner of Hyde's office. Should he tell him? He waited for him to get off the phone.

"You are going to have a surprise waiting for you when you get home."

"What's that?"

Eric wanted to be a smart ass and say _a pony_, but refrained from doing so. "Mom is going to ask you a question.

Do you want to know or be surprised?"

"Just tell me, Forman."

"Mom wants to give you my old room. Well first she asked me if I wanted it back and I told her no."

Why did Eric seem so pissy today? Sometimes _Mrs. F - Mom _meant well, but Hyde didn't know if he wanted a

bedroom upstairs. There was that brief time when everyone thought Laurie was moving in with a girl friend,

but it was really a guy, he was able to have her room, but that was then, this was now. It could be very strange

trying to sleep in a room that used to belong to _his brother_, Donna used to climb up to his window to play

sleepover. He didn't know. He was glad that Forman told him in advance no matter the reason for his mood.

* * *

**Burkhart Manor**

Kitty figured before the cold weather started would be when she would plan a visit to Jack Burkhart's house.

She wanted to wait for the right time and now that Steven was officially their son, although they never needed

that piece of paper that said so, it was the perfect moment to plan a visit to the Burkhart place. That way she

wouldn't be tempted to pull a Jackie and decorate a room for him without his consent. To give and take away

was wrong, Steven admitted to liking those aesthetically pleasing things, and yet Jackie never redid the room to

his liking. _Those kids never knew how to pick their battles_. The house seemed much smaller than she remembered.

It just appeared bigger than some of the other houses in Point Place. She went up the circular driveway; there

was no fence or security buzzer. Kitty was just able to park her car and go up to the side entrance and ring the

bell below the deliveries in rear sign.

A pretty little young maid answered the door. "Hello. Is Mr. Burkhart home? I'm Kitty Forman." The maid with the

blonde hair and green eyes invited her in to the small side entrance that looked like it lead to a breakfast nook.

She clutched her purse and then realized it wasn't like she was in the White House.

"Kitty Forman…" Jack Burkhart remembered the Forman family. His committee for President Ford's re-election

stop chose Red to ask the fluff question at the rally. But instead Red Forman, who was supposed to be a

Republican no less, asked how he could pardon Nixon. At least Kitty stayed quiet and made her patriotic pies.

"Hi, Jack. How are you?" Prison made him grayer, but other than that he looked the same.

He lead her to his library/den. "What brings you by?"

Kitty had to be careful. She didn't want her son to know anything about this and if Jack Burkhart said something

nasty about her Steven she would be in jail for beating him with her handbag.

"How's Jackie?"

"Fine. Would you like a drink?"

As tempting as it was to have some of the Burkhart liquor she declined.

"I really miss having Jackie around as she used to hang out with my son and his friends. I would love to send

her a little care package."

The truth was Jack Burkhart had no idea where his kitten was. The act of sending Western Unions did not give

one an exact location on his daughter's whereabouts and it was none of this nosy woman's business. A lot of

things happened to his little girl when he went to prison, and that was counting his floozy of an ex-wife and her

drunken escapades. Jackie let her grades slip, she lost her aspirations, and if he thought that oversexed doofus

Michael Kelso was bad, rumor had it that she was dating degenerates who spent time in juvie, plus boys with

brown skin. That Forman family and who they allowed in their house corrupted his sweet daughter. He would

never tell Kitty 'the town drunk' Forman where his daughter was. But knowing her husband's reputation for

arguing with anyone who disagreed with him by threatening to put foots in asses, he decided to keep those

feelings to himself.

"I don't know where she is…"

"Then how do you know she is fine?"

"Because we talked earlier in the year on the phone."

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry to have bothered you, Mr. Burkhart."

She couldn't say she regretted it; she knew how much Steven missed Jackie and wanted to have one last

chance with her. They said their polite goodbyes, Kitty called him a "jerk" when she was safely in the Toyota and

drove back home.

* * *

**Jackie's Pom-Pom Academy**

Jackie felt dirty. She had two dinner dates with a nice enough man who worked in her local bank. They were

polite little nights outs in 4 star restaurants, she wore her hair up and put on her nicest dresses, and she felt

like she was having dinner with one of her relatives. They were broken up, but she still felt that she was

cheating on Steven. She said she wasn't looking to have "a relationship".

She sat in her office at work because she never wanted him to pick her up and drop her off at home. Her hand

went on the receiver of the telephone and she stunned herself that she picked it up. The sound of the dial tone

was nerve wracking then the automated male voice said, "if you would like to make a call, please hang up and

try again". She couldn't. Calling and hanging up would have been a page ripped out of the Jackie Mind Game

Handbook Page 5. Mature woman don't do that. She just wanted to hear his voice. There was a secret knock at

the front door and she knew who it was. Jackie in her stocking feet walked to the lobby and opened the door.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss Jackie." Her instructor looked beautiful in her little black dress.

"You aren't a bother, Mimi. Come in so I can lock the door."

"I saw your car outside and knew you were here…" She wiped her eyes.

"Problems with Justin?" They could talk in the front reception area since no one else was there.

"He is determined to fuck -oops! I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, no one is here. You're only human. Would you like some cookies?" Jackie did, she barely touched her

roast beef medallions at the restaurant.

"No thanks. Okay, I'll say it. He's determined to fuck up his future with his little acts of rebellion."

"What did he do?"

"He and his friends wanted to spray paint something somewhere…"

A pot leaf on the LaSalle water tower? Mimi was more pulled together then Jackie was at that age who looked

for validation from anyone and everything in the '70s.

"Did they do it?"

"I don't know because I told him I couldn't be a part of it. If he gets caught he's going to get into trouble. He

can't violate his probation. Does he want to spend the rest of his life in prison?"

Jackie opened up the bag of Pepperidge Farm Milanos.

"I doubt that, Mimi. Would you like something to drink?" Milk always went with cookies.

"No. I just want my boyfriend to stop acting like such an ass! He deserves so much better, but he thinks he's

inferior."

"I think Justin will come around in time." Jackie wasn't sure of that one, but look at Steven, yes, he smoked

marijuana, but other than that, he wasn't looking for an excuse to be behind bars for the rest of his life.

Although there was one day that made her angry. He was just starting to work at WB's office and she loved

welcoming him home from his day at work. She meant it. He told her that "they" weren't going to be rich and he

was going to continue to fight against the corporate hacks just from the inside where he could have a pension

plan. Yeah, giving him the store was a great idea in retrospect, WB! She wanted to teach him a foreign

language and how to write a thank you note, not because she wanted to be his shrill and bossy girlfriend but

because she thought the more experiences he had the better the person he could become. And she did like the

fine things in life, but was that a bad thing? Steven didn't want to go along with Eric's crazy stunt, talk about

regression after bailing on the wedding to Donna that wasn't, to trench Old Man Shinsky's yard, he wanted to

go to Kitty's cocktail party. She thought it was sensual the way he could say _flow chart. _He was learning about

working in an office and it scared to him to death so what did he do after they made out? They had a circle,

where Hyde was jealous that his friends could do a hare-brained activity without him. That he went and did the

job proper and said to Kelso who was supposed to be a cop, got arrested for being ID'd by Old Man Shinsky,

told Kelso, who told Jackie _that Hyde said, that being in jail "felt right"_. The fight they had afterwards about it was

awful.

But Jackie meant her words, Steven deserved better, why didn't he see it? How could being locked up feel right?

**Flashback**

"Jackie, do you not know what the phrase drop it means?"

"Steven! How can you think being in jail is a good thing? You deserve better." She went to put her hands on his

shoulders, but he backed away.

"No. You're thinking that _you_ deserve better…"

"No, that's not true!"

"I'm walking away from you now…if I wanted to be nagged, I'd have a wife."

**End Flashback**

"Miss Jackie, am I bothering you?"

"No, Mimi," Shit. She spilled the milk that she was trying to pour into a JPPA mug. "I need to get paper towels…"

"I'll get them."

"In my office on the top shelf. Thanks..."

Didn't Steven realize that he was a good person who deserved all of the best that the world had to offer? She

hoped that he believed that now or at least started to.

* * *

**Forman Sewing Room**

Steven Hyde didn't know how it happened. He went upstairs with his Mother to tell her a polite "No, thank you."

but he wound up with her little arms around him and a kiss on his cheek and the affirmative statement that the

sewing room would now be converted back into a bedroom.

_His room. _

He secretly wished that he could find some of those same lavender scented candles that Jackie once bought for

him.

He liked those.

**Author's Note: Eric is taking some summer classes.**


	12. Do You Remember When She Cried Over You

**Chapter 12**

**Do You Remember When She Cried Over You and You Did Nothing About It?**

**September 5, 1980 (Friday)**

Red had to admit he liked getting the special treatment.

Kitty phoned WB and explained that Red wanted to go to the Packer's home opener against the Chicago Bears

with Steven and Eric and he only had one season ticket that Steven had purchased for Red. She couldn't believe

that she was made that call, WB had nothing to do with him buying those tickets for Red and he had to have felt

some kind resentment towards the Forman's that his biological son wanted to be adopted by them. But he was

a wealthy, businessman who had connections so Kitty figured what the Hell? It was a terrible year for Steven,

1980 was almost over, and they still had no idea on Jackie's whereabouts, so if WB could arrange it so the boys

could all sit together than Kitty was not going to be feel guilty over it, not at all. She did need something; she

wanted not just Steven, but Eric and Red to have a nice trip. WB said that he could take Red's ticket (of course,

he'd sell it and make money off it) and that their names would be on Sunday's list for one of the luxury boxes.

Now the hard part was going to be explain this to her boys.

"I don't know," Eric said dipping his spoon into the cereal bowl to push the crispy corn flakes into the milk, "I

have…"

"You should take a break, Eric." Kitty said, "You've worked hard this year." He was free of Donna and that made

Kitty happy. She could love her like a daughter, but then Donna would go around and do something that would

hurt her son and then she was the trollop again.

"But Red only has one ticket." Hyde added

He didn't quite feel like going to Green Bay just to see the Packers play. Lambeau Field didn't house many good

memories for him, he couldn't even get a laugh over Kelso and Fez' stupidity over the ticket stubs and he missed

Forman actually getting into a fight because someone hooligan insulted Red.

Red was upstairs because Kitty wanted to do this by herself. Since he was retired Red was more than content

to sleep in. He paid his dues, he deserved his rest.

"The cat's out of the bag," Kitty laughed as she put a plate of homemade muffins on the table, "You guys are

invited to sit in one of the LUXURY BOXES!"

"Great. Now we're going to have to go…" Eric moaned. He felt soggy like his cereal.

He just wanted to do his schoolwork and get the Hell out of Point Place. He didn't want to be going to any

stupid football games. It's not like it was a _Star Wars_ convention or anything important like that.

"By whom?" Hyde asked taking a muffin.

"I think it was some kind of contest Red entered…"

_Why would Dad enter a contest when I already gave him season tickets?_

"Forman, I don't think we have a choice…"

"Red!" Kitty handed him his cup of morning coffee, "I just told the boys about the

contest you won."

That was the best his wife could come up with?

"Yeah….and we're all taking turns driving." Red said wanting to read his morning paper.

Hyde stood up someone had to stop the well-meaning insanity of his Mother.

"Where are you going, Steven?"

"To call WB and thank him for the use of the luxury box," he kissed Kitty on the cheek, "Thanks, Mom."

And also to make sure that he didn't profit from his real father's ticket. That would have been a shitty thing to do

and Hyde would have no problem calling WB on it.

**September 7, 1980 at Lambeau Field **

**Green Bay, Wisconsin**

Red would rather have been outside watching the game. What kind of patsy can't stand the cold that they had

to watch the game from inside a luxury box? Dumbasses. But then Red changed his mind when he saw the food

that was offered. Kitty would not want him to have a brat and sauerkraut sandwich. But his wife wasn't here

and he knew his sons wouldn't tell on him. Kitty also wouldn't want him to have more than one beer, but yet

she was back home watching the game on TV and with Bob gone to Florida, he didn't have to worry about him

touching his wife's ass. Besides, he drove most of the way here, on the way home Eric and Steven could take

turns and he could sleep off these overly caloric and salted, yet delicious treats. He hadn't had a corn dog in

years. He doubted that the game would be any good, it was the Packers after all, but he could enjoy all of the

feast presented in front of him.

"Dad, are you happy? I bought a Packers jersey…." Eric would've worn his lucky Chicago Bears Walter Payton

jersey, but you just don't tempt fate twice especially when one was in a Packers luxury box at Lambeau Field

James Lofton #80

"Yeah. Yeah. Packers jersey. Don't start yapping! The games about to start. Go bug Steven." Red didn't turn to

face his son, he wanted to watch the game in relative peace and quiet.

Eric wanted to say, he couldn't "go bug" Hyde. He wasn't here. He thought he was being so sly before, but Eric

saw him leave. He wondered where his brother went?

Hyde knew Red wouldn't think to look for him, he was a grown man after all, and Forman wouldn't consider a

place so obvious as the Vista Cruiser. He didn't want to be here. He sat in the front passenger side trying to

take a nap. The hold Mom had on him was something else, he was convinced he'd walk on fire for the only older

woman who gave a damn about him. He knew Jackie was trying to make him jealous that day when they all

went (sans Kitty and Bob) here to see ironically enough the Bears because "Hot Donna" rigged the contest so

that she could win the tickets to the game. She bought him caramel corn when she knew he hated it. Donna

asked him per Jackie's request to take a picture of her with random jock types to showcase the faux best day of

her life. Apparently Donna made her realize that she missed him, so she had to go in his face and play defense.

She was happy to be rid of him, Jackie said he was a loser, and she was going to take a page out Fez' playbook

and celebrate with cotton candy. Hyde had every intention of telling her off. He was quite sick of her

manipulative ways. Then he saw her, and how tiny she looked, leaning against the pillar crying her eyes out.

_Over me. _

Jackie Burkhart was distraught over losing Steven Hyde and he didn't do a damn thing about it.

_Guess I am a dumbass. _

No, he did something about it, _I went back to tell Donna where she could find her._ Donna! _Not me. _No he was

too Zen to be pulled in by her, the only thing he could verbally muster was upon returning home to the Forman

driveway was to offer her a ride home because they both admitted that they couldn't just "hang out". It was

suddenly different.

_Different because I fucked up._

She was giving him obvious clues all day and yet she couldn't pick up on his one hint. She thanked him and that

was it.

Hyde was interrupted from his thoughts by the light tapping on the window. It was Forman. He rolled down the

antiquated handle to open the window.

"What do you want, Forman?"

"I'm bored. Red's content and eating foods that Mom wouldn't approve of. Why don't we find a place to get a

drink around here? That isn't overpriced like the drinks here."

"Fine."

It wasn't fine. If he wasn't sleeping with sub-par chicks, he was drowning his pain with booze or weed. But, if

Forman was buying, Steven Hyde would have no problem about forgetting the day that Jackie Burkhart cried

over him and he did nothing about it.

**Author's Note: The Green Bay Packers 1980 season was referenced here:**

**URL CUT OFF**

**(see reviews for this chapter for the URL link)**

**So while Red did get to see the Packers as a season ticket holder, Hyde picked the wrong time to buy **

**tickets, they were lousy that year – 5-10-1; They did win their home opener. 12-6 against the Chicago **

**Bears. Their scoring for that year was in last place in the NFL. **


	13. The Winter of Discontent

**Chapter 13**

**The Winter of Discontent**

**December 12, 1980**

**Friday night**

She hoped she wasn't being selfish.

It really was the last thing Jackie Burkhart ever wanted to be ever again. She just liked the solitude of being in

her Academy alone with the beige blinds down and the outside lights of her green sign. A megaphone that said

Jackie's painted on it and PPA in big letters on that added to the glow of the main street in LaSalle. The two

large windows in front had PPA professionally letter painted and Pom-Pom Academy was spelled out. It was the

Christmas season. She'd let her girls decorate the artificial tree that was in the lobby, but right now she just

wanted to set it up, plug the lights in and made sure they worked, she thought the plain white looked the most

magical, almost like candlelight. She went on a splurge in downtown Chicago, she couldn't help it, it was Jackie's

Pom-Pom Academy's first holiday celebration and she wanted to buy the prettiest ornaments, the boas of

garland, the boxes of silver tinsel, and strings of lights. If she kept busy, she wouldn't go where her mind

always went. Where it went everyday and never stopped. Jackie hoped that Steven was okay and that he was

doing well. She really wanted to know, many a night, alone her in office she'd pick up the phone to call the

Forman house, but then it'd be an issue, a thing, drama, a mind-game, a ploy, and that was another last thing

for the list. She was not the same person and unlike when Michael only had to say the words, lo and behold

meaning them were two different things. She never wanted Steven to think that she was playing with his

emotions and that's exactly what a call to the Forman house would accomplish. The tree was pre-lit so all she

had to do was plug it in and made a sigh of relief that they all worked. She had little stockings made for all of

her girls at one of the kiosks and she bought glitter pens so they could all write their names and hang them on

the wall in their individual school colors. It would be so pretty. She pushed the box containing all of the

trim-a-tree stuff and propped it against the wall. The other boxes of general decorations she would keep behind

the front desk. She was going to have to pull another all-nighter and hoped that there was enough coffee to

keep going; Jackie had to finalize the plans for Jackie's Pom-Pom Academy's 1st Holiday Banquet/Awards

Honors. She had to address all of the RSVP postcards by hand, sure Patty, her front desk receptionist, could

type them out, but Jackie wanted them to have the magic touch. That was another thing she had to buy gifts for

Patty and her accountant Margie. When she went to Marshall Field's earlier she couldn't help walking through

the men's department, half of the stuff Steven wouldn't be caught dead in, but there was a really nice Italian

leather watch - _"Stop it." _Jackie whispered to herself and poured herself a cup of coffee from the small pot that

she kept in her office. What good was it to be thinking about a watch for Steven when they weren't in each

other's lives anymore? A single father of one of the intermediate girls always asked her out and she always

made her polite excuse as to why she didn't want to mix business with pleasure.

She couldn't hang on to a memory, memories that weren't always good, yes, she would always love Steven, he

would always have her heart, but she couldn't stay alone for the rest of her life. There was nothing wrong with

dating and she was certain he was doing his fair share of it. Jackie didn't have to get married, there was nothing

wrong with dinner, so maybe she would accept the offer the next time Ben Floyd, father to Alexandra Floyd

asked her out to dinner. Only one thing played over in her mind, she needed to move on, but she wasn't happy

with the choices in front of her and Jackie felt that she was turning into one big fraud.

It wasn't what she wanted.

* * *

This year really took the cake with not only Jackie leaving Point Place and him behind but the recent and

senseless deaths of John Bonham and John Lennon made Hyde eager to put this year behind him for good.

Damn. Steven Hyde hated Christmas. It wasn't that the people that one cared about didn't deserve any

presents, it was that Madison Avenue made you think that you were the lowest scum of the Earth if you didn't

purchase whatever was deemed the present of the moment. Sure, he could rationalize that he was standing in

the jewelry aisle to buy a present for his Mom. He could buy Mom the "girl" charm for her Mother's Day bracelet

to signify Laurie, but he'd be lying to himself as to why he was looking at the long strand of pearls being

dangled by a mannequin hand that came out of a rather sad cardboard looking treasure chest. The sign

enclosed in a plastic holder on the counter offered an ultimatum for men everywhere:

_Show her that you love her with a strand of pearls this holiday season. _

How Jackie would look elegant and sexy wearing these and only these. Hyde was happy yet insulted that the

preppy salespeople were ignoring him, yeah they thought he looked like a thug, but they didn't know what his

money situation was. He was relieved because _how loony would it make him to buy these pearls just to keep them_

_ locked in the Grooves safe along with the -_- damn. He was never going to see Jackie again, Hyde took a silent

breath and headed towards the home and garden department His Father mentioned during the Packers opener

that he wanted a riding lawnmower. He could afford to buy it for him. He'd find something for his Mother that

wasn't jewelry and heck, all you had to do was throw a comic book at Eric and he'd be happy. But, he was his

brother and his employee; he could do better than that. This wasn't how he pictured Christmas 1980 at all.

**Hyde's Fantasy**

The room smelled like cinnamon. Jackie made him decorate the house with her, no that wasn't entirely true,

Steven Hyde doesn't do what Steven Hyde doesn't want to do, but he let her think that she coerced him. They

settled on an artificial tree, you could keep it up longer and it was easier on the nose than the annoying sent of

pine. Mom gave them their holiday/housewarming gifts already two homemade stockings with their names

embroidered them. They snuggled by the fireplace wrapped in a big blue blanket.

"You're up to something, Steven." Jackie whispered into his shoulder.

"Maybe…"

She didn't know where it came from but he pulled out a wrapped square shaped gift from behind his

back.

"Merry Christmas, Jackie."

"It's not the 25th!" Jackie tried her best not to be enchanted by material things.

"11:43, close enough, it's Christmas somewhere…."

"Okay…" she didn't need a big present, wrapped in shiny paper, with an elaborate bow; her present was the

man right in front of her, "Oh My God! Steven, they're beautiful… thank you."

It was the most striking strand of pearls that she had ever seen.

"They would look wonderful on you…."

He put the necklace around her neck as it was connected by a white gold clasp surrounded in diamonds.

Jackie put her hands on Hyde's cheeks liking the feel of his stubble.

"I love you, Steven."

"I love you, too, Jackie…"

They fell backwards on the floor, kissing each other soft and tender.

**End Fantasy**

"Sir, may I help you?" asked the young male clerk. When did Hyde get old enough to be called 'Sir'? How long

was he 'out' for? He wanted to punch that pimply-faced moron in the jaw. He only wanted a chance to make it

right with her again. If he only knew where she was. He just wanted one last fucking chance to correct it all.

"Yeah. _I'm interested in buying a riding mower_."

**Author's Note: Marla's Lost knows the reason. I read a critique (not directed at me) somewhere and it **

**inspired me to write this note. I think the characters (all of them) can and should evolve. Not just in my **

**stories, but any stories that take place after 1980. I mean who stays the same from when they were 19? **

**Yeah, your core values such as honesty might be the same, but we tend to grow as people. If Hyde is in a **

**happy relationship, he (gasp!) can be content and the opposite can be true if Kelso wants to be a prick in **

**the future because his life didn't pan out as he'd hoped, then that's fine too. My story here is a **

**pining/second chance at love story. I can make no apologies. I stand by what I have written for all of my **

**works (and I try to write different stories) and I also stand by the works of the people that I consider my **

**fan-fic friends. No one is the same person from the pages of their high school yearbooks. Also following the **

**advice of nannygirl and Angie - to make up some presents that J/H might give each other. That's for the**

**next chapter.  
**

**Introduced Ben Floyd (Father to one of the cheerleaders) in Chapter 11 too soon, so I edited that chapter **

**for Jackie's unsatisfactory date to be with a man who worked in her bank. **


	14. Christmas Eve Alone

**Chapter 14**

**Christmas Eve Alone **

**December 24, 1980 Edition**

**Wednesday night**

Jackie didn't send all of her things to Steven.

It was her only real present from him. They went out for a while, but he only bought her one real gift. She was

proud of herself for not even opening up her trinket box when she got to LaSalle to play her constant game of

_'what if'_. She only put it on her dresser. She could've called her father, but she didn't want to. She didn't want to

know if her mother ever returned to Point Place after the second time she left. They were supposed to start life

together again. Give Pam an opportunity to party with the well-connected and young set and rebuilding her

relationship with her daughter would have to take a back seat. She was closing her Academy for the Holiday

break. There were no scheduled classes, but if any of her girls wanted to come by and use the exercise

equipment or work on their dance routines she would be open in the afternoons from the 27th – 30th, unless

the weather dictated otherwise. Jackie's Pom-Pom Academy's 1st Annual Winter party was done yesterday.

Tonight she'd put on _It's a Wonderful Life_ as she cut chocolate chip cookies from the frozen tube to bake in the

oven. She made sure all of the lights were turned off including her Christmas tree. The girls did a fantastic job

decorating it and the results made the LaSalle paper. _Jackie was going to spend, for the first time in her life, _

_Christmas alone_. It didn't scare her as much as it depressed her. She took the black velvet pouch out of her

purse that contained the small green box.

**Flashback**

"Hand it over, Steven!"

"What makes you think I got you anything?"

"Then you're not getting your present! And you'll never find where I hid it!"

She stuck out her tongue. She was forced into making cookies with Mrs. Forman and Donna, Jackie would rather

have this back-and-forth-banter with her boyfriend, but she didn't want them to come downstairs and ruin the

moment.

"ooh, I'm scared."

"Just for that no hot from the oven cookies for you!"

"Mrs. Forman will give me cookies." He also stuck out his tongue. He could do this all night.

"Not if I tell her not to."

**40 Minutes Later**

"I told you Mrs. Forman would give me a cookie."

Actually a desert plate worth plus a ceramic Santa mug filled with hot chocolate and topped with whipped cream.

"Don't you have to go somewhere, Steven?"

"Why so you can snoop?"

"Eric and Donna exchanged presents already…" Jackie pouted

"That's _not_ going to work."

"What's not going to work?"

"Your little pout."

"You like my little pout, Steven." She walked closer to him. Playful banter time was over their was a present

at stake.

Jackie Burkhart knew how to get a man's attention. She put her arms around her boyfriend and gave him a big

kiss on the lips.

"T-hat's _not_ going to work, either." He replied obviously flustered.

She started to unbutton her own dark cranberry colored blouse with the ruffled detail.

"Maybe…_this will_…"

"You play dirty...you're coming along nicely..."

**End Flashback**

Jackie's thoughts were interrupted when the pouch she was holding fell out of her hand, bumped the corner of

her desk, and hit the floor. Yeah, she did get her way in the end. Not out of manipulation (well, sexual as it was,

it was not manipulation). She loved her boyfriend and he loved her. It was a simple green box from Halverson's.

This was before she was blinded by the prospect that Steven's new (and better) father was rich, so the concept

of a nice, but not ostentatious present was new and wonderful to her. 1980 Jackie would be the first to tell '70s

Jackie, _You really messed up things, Girl. _She was on a wonderful path to self-enlightenment, but that all went to

Hell when her mother came back and she threw ultimatums left and right to a man who would do the right

things if he didn't feel he was pushed into a corner and forced to do so. She could still picture their clothes on

the floor as they made love in his sparse little back room in the Forman basement. How they cuddled together in

one of Mrs. Forman's big white comforters. She wound up wearing his shirt of the day, Rolling Stones tour; she

could still smell the mix of his cologne with her Babe perfume. Also some other assorted basement scents that

for some reason smelled of warm Earth and not of a threat to society.

Jackie's hands slightly shook as she opened the box. To a jeweler it didn't have much monetary value, but to her

it was a worth a million dollars.

It was the cheapest silver, but she didn't care, money was tight and she knew Steven didn't want to be seen as

a burden to Red and Kitty so some of what he earned at the Fotohut was given to the Forman's as rent for

being allowed to live there. Attached to one of the rolo links was an oval about the size of her thumbnail that he

had engraved at one of the kiosks in the center of the mall.

_S.H. (Heart symbol) J.B. 4E Restart Flashback_

**Restart Flashback**

Jackie gushed when Hyde put the bracelet around her delicate wrist. "S-Steven, it's beautiful. I love it!" She put

her arms around him tighter.

"I love you." He meant it.

"I love you, too."

And they spent the rest of the night holding each other under the warm covers during a frozen Wisconsin

winter's night.

**End Flashback**

It was almost her first year away from Point Place and Steven as Jackie opened up the velvet pouch and took

out the bracelet to put it on her wrist. It was the kind of gift a teenage boyfriend would buy his girlfriend. It

wasn't a symbol for marriage, the white picket fence, the 2.0 kids, and the dog. It was a nice gift from a man

who kept his feelings inside of himself most of the time who only broke his façade to a select few, during certain

occasions. Jackie was grateful for her successful business, her students, and a life that wasn't dependent on

what her Daddy could buy for her. She might never see Steven Hyde again. Jackie would never take the leap

and call him out of the blue. He hated surprises and he would most certainly think she was setting a trap. Jackie

had many things to be thankful for. She sighed as grabbed her bags, closing the doors to her Academy. Not

wanting to move on from Steven, but knowing that she had to.

_Jackie felt that she got the Christmas that she deserved._


	15. First Miss

**Chapter 15**

**First Miss**

**January 31, 1981**

**Saturday**

That's Entertainment.

Jackie slid into her pink heels and buckled the thin ankle strap. She went to inspect herself in the hotel room

mirror, something changed inside of herself because she didn't think that she was ugly, not that she thought

she was repulsive, far from it. What was the word that a Burkhart was never taught, humble? That was it. She

looked good in an easy black wrap style dress that paired with a wide pink belt. Putting on her make-up and

jewelry would have to wait; she curled up in the wide shell shaped chair and looked out of the window at the

downtown Chicago Hilton. She was on the 10th floor so she couldn't see much, but the tops of buildings. The

side of the hotel she was on, she couldn't even see Lake Michigan. She was supposed to be happy, her

business was thriving, parents requested a pre-school division to start their girls early or to push them into

activities that they didn't want to do she wasn't quite sure. Jackie's PPA was the entertainment for some local

business convention that going on in the hotel. It was her free time. Her girls were with their

parents/chaperones. What a bus trip that was! She didn't care about supporting spouses who were running for

political office, vacations in the Hampton's, or some overly eager parent so desperately wanting "Miss Jackie" on

their best friend list. The gossip from the girls was more tolerable than hearing their overdone mothers going on

and on about absolutely nothing.

Poor Mimi sitting across from her getting warnings from her mother about that "low life Justin boy." when the

bus drove on Jackie put her headphones on and listened to her motivational tape_. _

_To be a success is to believe in yourself. _

Jackie could make money, she could teach her students the ways of the pom-pom, but what was life if you didn't

have someone to share it with? Her mind flashed to the present and in her hotel room. Her eyes were wet and

she felt drained tonight was a dinner for the students and the parents. All she wanted to do was order a hot

fudge sundae from room service and eat it in her bed. All she really wanted to do was make love with Steven.

* * *

Fuck it.

He'd go. WB didn't have anything to say about Hyde being adopted by the Forman family, which proved Hyde's

point about his true biological father. Love is about a feeling. He could go on a trip to Chicago, after he found

out that Jackie sometimes shops in that city, maybe he would bump into her like Kelso did. WB suggested that

Hyde network and to go to one of those job conventions. It might have had something that do with the contract

that even though Hyde was the owner of the last Grooves before the buyout, WB still was able receive some

yearly monies. No doubt about it. Red and Kitty Forman were his parents; every move WB did solidified it. But he

was a decent enough guy and he felt like he needed a break from Point Place so he'd drive to Chicago to clear

his head, hoping in the back of his mind, that he'd see Jackie. He had to let go of the El Camino when the car

finally died a month ago, so he settled on a 1969 black Chevy Corvair. It wasn't his first choice, which might

have been okay for a car… but he never wanted to settle in other areas of his life. The '80s were a different

decade for certain, Hyde always felt terrible whenever he slept with a girl he didn't love. He wanted to be in bed

with Jackie, their bodies intertwined, his rough skin against her soft skin, the way she could kiss him and make

him feel like he mattered. No woman before or since ever made him feel that way. He didn't have to worry about

paying for his room at the Chicago Hilton; it was a deductible business expense. His favorite kind. What was life

if you didn't have someone to share it with?

* * *

Jackie knew that knock. She walked over to the door to answer it. "Hi, Mimi."

"Miss Jackie, My Mother is driving me crazy…may I hide in here for awhile?"

The girls were going to wear their individual school uniforms to the dinner and tomorrow at the show they

would wear the JPPA uniforms, which some mother's tried to stick their nose in about.

"Sure." Jackie looked in the mirror and made sure her eyes were dry. With the tears she cried for Steven she

could make her own lake with a view.

"Are you thinking about Steven?" Everyone who paid attention knew about Steven. Jackie gave his picture to

Patty at the front desk and told her no matter what she was doing that she was to be told immediately.

"Yeah," She couldn't lie to her friend, why couldn't Mimi have been a few years older, she would have been a

better friend than Donna was to her, "I always miss my Puddin' Pop."

_Wanna hear something sick? I actually missed you calling me Puddin' Pop._

"I hope you two get together someday…." Mimi laid down on the other bed, her mother would never know she

was here in Miss Jackie's room.

"Me too…Don't let your mother," Was she going to get involved? Maybe just a little, "dictate your relationship

with Justin."

"I won't…I just need a quiet place to take a nap before dinner…"

"Get under the covers, it's freezing in here." Jackie could never work a hotel air conditioner.

"I set the alarm, Miss Jackie."

"Thank you, Mimi."

She figured a nap would be good for her as well; she went to her bed and decided to take off her pink heels

and go under the hefty covers. Hopefully, she would have one of her Steven dreams, sure when she woke up

from them she was always disappointed that she wasn't wrapped in his muscular arms, but while she was

locked into her dream state to her it was pure magic.

* * *

Hyde was on the 11th floor. What was he doing here? So WB could make more in his yearly dividend check? Did

he really want to network? He liked his indie store just the way it was. He took off his boots and sat on the bed.

Not caring to see what was on TV, he propped the pillows up against the headboard, took off his sunglasses,

and thought he could close his eyes for a bit. This was a mistake, but he didn't feel like driving the five or so

hours back to Point Place tonight.

Hopefully Mom would save some of that homemade mac and cheese and Dad better not have eaten the best

part that contained all of the crispy crust on top.

* * *

_Steven, I love you! Yes, I'll marry -_

The alarm went off and Jackie slightly groaned as she pulled the covers over her head, then she remembered

her young friend was in the next bed.

"Sorry about the alarm, Miss Jackie," Mimi was finally able to stop the annoying buzzing sound, "Do we have to

go to the dinner?"

"Yeah. It won't be so bad. Just ignore your Mother. She can't tell you who to love."

Mimi got up, she needed fix her herself up if she was going to be presentable.

"Thank you for all of your advice. Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

Jackie sat up in the bed. "What did I say?"

"That you loved Steven."

* * *

Hyde saw a sign when he checked in earlier that there was supposed to be some annoying dinner in the

restaurant for students and parents, that was his cue to stay holed up in his room and to order from the room

service menu. He picked up the remote control off the end table and turned on the TV. He could drop his

business card off with one of the bell-hops call it a networking day and check out of his hotel tomorrow morning.

He never wanted to be a corporate stooge. This could've been a nice trip in Chicago _if only Jackie were here._

* * *

Jackie smoothed out her dress it wasn't wrinkled. She put her hair up and settled on a silver rope chain and

dangly teardrop earrings.

"I wish you were here, Steven," Jackie said to herself in the bathroom mirror as she made sure her make-up

was just perfect for the occasion, not realizing the irony of her statement and who was one floor directly above

her, _"I wish you were here."_

But for the two lost lovers it would be the first of two misses.

**Author's Note: I know, I'm mean. lol There's only going to be one more miss, but it will all make sense. I **

**promise. They are going to reunite, but it ties in with another plotline.**


End file.
